Baku denies energy disruptions to Georgia

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Energy officials in Baku Friday denied allegations that Georgia has stopped importing energy supplies from Russia through Azerbaijan.

Marlen Askerov of Azerenerji said there had been no suspension of mutual exchanges of electric power with Russia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, the Azeri news service Today said.

"Our grids are working in the parallel regime. The countries conduct import and export of electric power," he said.

Ani Bregvadze, a spokesman for the Georgian energy bureau, said earlier Georgia had halted Russian energy imports and suspended parallel electricity transmission with Azerbaijan.

Energy diplomacy in the Caucasus has been tense following the August military conflict between Russia and Georgia over the breakaway republic of South Ossetia. The conflict, and a fire at a pumping station in Turkey, disrupted the flow of roughly 1 percent of the world's crude through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline.

Thursday, Baku said it would begin offering more oil to Russia and Iran.

"We are trying to be friends with everybody, at the same time as acting in accordance with our national interests," said Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.