Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania said on November 18 that there is no reason for halting construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline.
The Guardian reported on November 17 that hundreds of joints in one section of the pipeline alone had been found to be defective.
The Guardian cited the report by the U.S. consultancy WorleyParsons, which was asked to investigate the BTC by lenders following speculation at the beginning of this year that the construction of the pipeline faced problems.
?During my visit to London [last week] I met with representatives of the BP [which leads the construction of the pipeline]. I got acquainted with their plans and I do not see any reason for speculations regarding the halting of construction,? Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania told reporters.