BTC 'Clearly American' Project

According to the Special Envoy of the Russian President, Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Victor Kalyuzni, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline is "clearly an American, antieuropean: project, as oil being transported by this route will go to only the USA passing by Europe".

By his words, in Ceyhan tankers with deadweight by 300 - 500 thou tons will be filled up. "It is profitable to transport oil to the USA only. Oil deliveries by tankers up to 150 thou tons are sufficient for Europe", - Mr. V. Kalyuzni emphasized.

Mr. Kalyuzni has become a supporter of the European interests against the Americans as this pipeline will become a serious competitor for Russian oil deliveries from the Black Sea. Not by volumes, but because it will be easy enough for exporters to buy oil in the Mediterranean Ceyhan than in Novorossiisk or Tuapse for then their transportation to the Mediterranean Sea by tankers and solve simultaneously, the problem of passing through the Turkish straits Bosporus and Dardanelle.