Kazakhstan ready for BTC

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ASTANA, Kazakhstan, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- Kazakhstan positioned itself as a potential supplier to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline ahead of a meeting in Ankara with Turkish officials.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev hailed the bilateral ties between his country and Turkey, saying he would like to expand cooperation in the energy sector, Turkish daily Today's Zaman reports.

"In the near future, we want to lend support to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline," he said.

A conflict between Russia and Georgia over the breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in August 2008 complicated transits through BTC. The current capacity is 1 million bpd.

Observers point to Kazakh oil as a vital resource for the viability of BTC. Nazarbayev said his country would start production at its massive Kashagan field in 2013.

"That's why we need new corridors and new routes," he said.

He pointed to a recent deal with French companies to build a $2 billion oil pipeline to link his country to the Caspian Sea.

Development is expected on that project in 2012, though Nazarbayev said it was an "extremely important" project to transport Kazakh oil to European markets.

Nazarbayev is expected in Ankara later this week.