Kazakh energy cooperation with Russia is more significant than with any other state. Kazakhstan's wish to take part in the Southern Gas Corridor is more declarative than realizable, the director of the Kazakh Center for Topical Studies “Alternativa”, Andrey Chebotaryov, told Vestnik Kavkaza, commenting on the proposal by the EU Commissioner for Energy, Gunther Oettinger, for Kazakhstan to join the Southern Gas Corridor.
The proposal was announced at the Sixth Eurasian Forum KAZENERGY-2011.
Kazakhstan only expressed the initiative to form an energy charter for cooperation with the EU, the political expert believes.
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced the need for an energy charter “EU-Kazakhstan 2020” in January. Kazakhstan has concerns about transit of its hydrocarbons through Russia, which is why it is searching for direct access to the European market.
Commenting on possible complications in Russian-Kazakh ties, Andrey Chebotaryov said that the issue of routes and means for transport of Kazakh hydrocarbons to Europe will remain open. Most exports of Kazakh oil and gas run through Russia via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. Kazakhstan is not a shareholder of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan project and does not plan to join the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline, lobbied for by the EU, the expert notes. Russia does not have any claims on Kazakhstan, because there are no reasons for them, Chebotaryov concluded.
