RUSSIA DOES NOT FAVOUR KAZAKHSTAN'S PARTICIPATION IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BAKU-CEYHAN OIL PIPELINE








MOSCOW, March 6. /From RIA Novosti correspondent Natalya Shmonova/. Deputy Foreign Minister, special envoy of the Russian President for the Caspian Sea Viktor Kalyuzhny disapproves of  the possible joining by Kazakhstan to the project of building the Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline. He expressed such an opinion to newsmen on Tuesday.


	Kalyuzhny thinks that Kazakhstan should elucidate to the Russian side why it is considering the possibility of participating in the given project.


	The Deputy Minister opines that Russia and Kazakhstan should pursue a policy aimed at creating a single energy balance of the two states, as well as at elaborating a joint programme on oil transit.


	Taking part in the project of building the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline are Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. On March 1 the experts of these states signed a Memorandum on Mutual Understanding on this project. Representatives of Kazakhstan also signed this document.


	Meanwhile, Kazakhstan is already a member of the Caspian Oil Pipeline Consortium (KTK), with Russia accounting for the biggest share in it, and intends on completion of its construction this coming summer to pump oil along this pipeline to Novorossiisk.


	The pipeline Baku-Ceyhan is slated to be put into operation in 2004.