EN
8 March 2006 - 10:36 AMT

Ankara and Baku Capable to Guard BTC at Own Expense

Turkey and Azerbaijan are capable to guard the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline at their own expense, Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Turan Morali stated. In his words, presently the issue of formation of military units for guarding the oil pipeline is not being discussed at the state level and there is no need in it. “The formation, coordination of activities and deployment of joint forces is a complicated process demanding great deal of time. We can help the country which is not able to secure the sector passing through its territory,” he noted. According to Mr. Morali, the Georgian government requested oil companies to render assistance in guarding the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. As for the possibility of attacks on the Turkish sector of the pipeline by Kurdish military units and other terrorist groupings, the Ambassador noted there are no problems in this view, reported APA news agency.