Azerbaijan Might Buy Gas Pipeline Connecting Armenia and Russia

A source in the Georgian government has confirmed information that the North-South pipeline connecting Russia and Armenia will likely be sold to the SOCAR, reports News.Az.

According to Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review, Tbilisi sources report that “due to the economic crisis, Georgia has decided to exclude the North-South gas pipeline of strategic importance from the list of objects not subject to privatization. Observers in Tbilisi say that the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan [SOCAR] will be the new owner of the gas pipeline by 99%.”

‘Last month Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held talks with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili on this issue’, the newspaper reads.

On June 6, the Georgian pipeline adopted a bill excluding the pipeline from the list of strategic objects in the first reading.

Head of the parliamentary legal committee, deputy from the ruling party Pavel Kublashvili earlier offered to sell the gas pipeline.

At the same time, he listed the general arguments saying “private sector regulates any enterprise better than the state.” Asked who may buy this gas pipeline, Kublashvili did not say anything in clear noting that this issue will be settled in the future.

Among potential purchasers of 10-15% of gas pipeline from Russia to Armenia earlier were Russian Gazprom, Kazakh Kazmunaygaz and Azerbaijan’s SOCAR.