January 17, 2011 - 09:28 AMT
Andrey Areshev: EU can hardly finance Nabucco

EU policy regarding Nabucco gas pipeline project is not a novelty, a Russian expert said.

“We can presume that the visit of European Commission President to Baku and Ashgabat will signify a new stage in political lobbying of this economically insufficient project,” Andrey Areshev, senior fellow at the Institute of Oriental Studies at the RF Academy of Sciences, told PanARMENIAN.Net.

“There are too many issues to be settled, including construction of Transcaspian gas pipeline. Even if we presume that the status of the Caspian Sea will be determined within the coming several years, Brussels will have a huge amount of money to implement the project. Taking into account financial problems, it will not be an easy job,” he said.

“We should not forget either that the existing oil and gas pipelines meant to diversify the Europe’s energy supply are unloaded. At the same time, EU’s interest in energy projects in South Caucasus will even more discredit the policy of this organization,” Areshev said.