Russian Paper: Putin Thwarts ‘Anti-Russian Energy Summit’

Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s “unprecedented long trip” to the Central Asian states aims at preventing construction of trans-Caspian pipelines bypassing Russia, the Russian daily, Kommersant, reported on May 10.

It said that the timing of the visit, which includes trips to Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, was a successful attempt by the Russian side to prevent Kazakh leader Nursultan Nazarbayev from travelling to Poland where he was invited for an energy summit to discuss trans-Caspian pipeline projects with his Polish, Georgian, Azerbaijani and Ukrainian counterparts.

President Saakashvili left for Poland on Thursday to attend the summit on May 11-12.

“On the eve of the ‘anti-Russian’ energy summit… Moscow has launched a counter-offensive… The absence of one of the major participants – Nursultan Nazarbayev – is the first success of the move,” Kommersant reported.

President Putin started his visit on May 9. He is expected to visit Turkmenistan on May 10 together with the Kazakh leader. Putin will reportedly be back in Kazakhstan on May 12 where he plans to stay another two days.

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