What Made Shevardnadze Delay His Visit to Baku

As  it has been known murder of Giorgi Sanaia, leading Georgian journalist, was the official reason of why President of Georgia Eduard Shevardnadze had delayed his visit to Baku. President Shevardnadze was to be in Baku by July 27 where he was to sign an agreement concerning Baku-Tbilisi-Erzrum rout coming from Shah-Deniz gas field.

Several Georgian and Azer informational agencies have disseminated information saying that the actual reason of why President Shevardnadze has not visited Baku was the disagreement on details of gas pipeline rout. According to published publications, Georgian and Azer experts have not reached consensus concerning the terms of gas export from Shah-Deniz gas field through Baku-Tbilisi-Erzrum rout.

“It is hard to say on which sources the informational agencies have relied on. It has actually been said that agreement on security of the gas pipeline has not been reached yet. Rights of landowners in the corridor have already been regulated. Issue of gas transit tariffs is the only problem remaining under question. the issue has been left open to the Georgian side”, the Dilis Gazeti states.

The newspaper spoke to the representative of ITERA, international power company, in Georgia Temur Gajiev. Even tough neither Georgian nor Azerian side has stated anything concerning the failure of the agreement it may be thought that the information spread through mass media is relevant to truth, “especially if we remember the last year’s case when the President of Azerbaijan let his positions and agreed to share part of the profit of Azerbaijan with Georgia because of the Georgian side’s discontent concerning the Baku-Jeihan oil pipeline construction”, Gajiev stated.

Kakha Imnadze, the President’s Press-Secretary, strictly neglected the versions and said the murder of Giorgi Sanaia was the only reason why the President had delayed his visit to Baku. The Dilis Gazeti supports the last version. “The information disseminated through informational agencies recently is illogical and is partially related to commercially competitor companies”, the Dilis Gazti states. 

the Dilis Gazti