In an article published on March 21 the Russian daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta quotes spokesman of the Russian energy giant Gazprom Sergey Kuprianov as stating that the Russian company is currently negotiating with the Georgian leadership over the privatization of Georgia?s gas pipeline system.
?Only [Gazprom] can secure the normal functioning of these pipelines, as [the pipeline system] requires significant investments,? Gazprom spokesman Sergey Kuprianov said; he refrained, however, from unveilling any details or the amount of a possible deal, according to the Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
The U.S., which backs the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzrum gas pipeline, has already called on the Georgian authorities to exercise caution while considering the privatization of these trunk pipelines.
The Nezavisimaya Gazeta quotes Georgia?s State Minister for Economic Reform Issues Kakha Bendukidze as saying: ?Revenues from the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzrum gas pipeline will be significantly reduced in the event that the [Georgian] trunk gas pipelines become privatized. So the concerns of [the United States] are absolutely understandable ? they do not want competitors.?
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