Elizabeth Jones, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs arrives in Georgia on July 30 for a one-day visit to discuss the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline and the situation in breakaway South Ossetia with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and other officials.
The U.S. Embassy to Georgia reported that Assistant Secretary Jones will tour the BTC pipeline route, meet with U.S. Embassy officials and British Petroleum (BT) representatives.
The construction of the U.S.-backed and BP-led BTC oil pipeline, which is to carry Azeri oil to the western markets via Georgia and Turkey, was temporarily suspended in Georgia on July 22 after the Georgian Environment Ministry demanded the BP observe more environmental security measures in the Borjomi Valley in western Georgia. Construction is scheduled to resume next week.