IN THE NEXT TIME THE SUBSTATION "TERMINAL" WILL BE PUT INTO OPERATION ON THE TERRITORY OF THE SANGACHAL OIL TERMINAL
BAKU.03.03.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: In the next time the substation "Terminal" will be put into operation on the territory of the Sangachal Oil terminal.
BAKU.03.03.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: Fixed supplies of the liquid hydrocarbons in Iran make 130 bn bbl. The Director of the National Company on the International Affairs Mr. Khojatolla Ganimifar has informed about this in the interview to the agency SHANA. By his words, "this is not exaggeration and it is possibly enough that in the next years after execution of planned programs new more determined data on hydrocarbon supplies in Iran will be published".
BAKU.03.03.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: Iran has positively accepted the request of Turkey on reduction of prices for gas delivered to it, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey Mr. Khilmi Guler has said, commenting results of its meetings and negotiations with the Iranian Authorities.
BAKU.03.03.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: The Ministry of Taxes of Azerbaijan has transferred 352.8 bn manats to the state budget of the country. The forecast on tax transfers was executed by 101.9% in the past month. Totally since the beginning of the year 618.1 bn manats have been transferred to the state budget and this is by 149.2 bn manats more than for the analogous period of the past year.
BAKU.03.03.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: The Ministry of the Economic Development of Azerbaijan (MEOO) have announced the investment competition for sales of 100% of stocks of the JC "Garadag Plant of Rubber Admixtures" of the state company "Azerbkimya".
BAKU.03.03.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: The presentation of the next round "Programs of the new grants for 2004" financed by the WB, the Institute "Opened Society" and the Eurasian Fund has been held.
As Media-Press has been informed in the Baku Office of the WB, $100 thou would be allocated for the realization of the program. The WB will allocate $40 thou and the Institute "Opened Society" and the Eurasian Fund will allocate by $30 thou. The main idea of the program is the introduction of the civil society to the process of the development of the weak layers of the population, as invalids, refugees and ethnic minorities. As well a great attention will be paid for the development of municipalities especially to widening of connections of municipalities with the executive power.
Grants will be allocated on a competition base. Nongovernmental organization must present their projects up to March 31. The grant awarding will be held on May 10. Their volume may reach up to $12 thou.
BAKU.03.03.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: Yesterday 200 high-ranked officers have retired from the Ministry of Interior of Georgia. As the Agency RBK informs, they are mainly chiefs of the regional and district offices of police and their deputies.
Different causes of their retirement have been called. One of them is that the Minister of Interior Mr. Georgia has advised to the officers to write retirement applications themselves as the new authorities do not believe many of them. Moreover, the reorganization of the MI system is gone in Georgia and it provides for retirement of persons associated with former authorities of the country.
Meanwhile, the chiefs of offices appointed by the new authorities also have also applied for retirement. Most likely, as the MI of Georgia has informed, they will be appointed on their posts again in some time. The present events may affect negatively on the Parliament Elections, appointed for March 28. Especially as the Monitoring Group of the PAEC has expressed its dissatisfaction, because Georgia has not executed its recommendations.
Particularly the elective administration is formed as before in accordance with so called "Baker's Formula", which is not democratic by the opinion of the PAEC and it excludes parity participation of political parties in the work of the elective administration. Moreover, Georgia has not reacted on the Recommendation of the EC to reduce 7% Parliament election barrier for parities up to 4 - 5%. "There is a time still up to the Elections of March 28 and we recommend to authorities of Georgia to call the urgent Parliament session and change the acting laws of elections", - the official of the PAEC has emphasized.
By his opinion, 7% barrier is far from "the European laws and there is a threat of Parliament of single party for Georgia". The Elections of March 28 will be monitored in Europe with a great attention and far more than before observers from the OSCE and PAEC will arrive in Georgia, the interlocutor of the RBK has emphasized.
BAKU.03.03.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: The situation formed in the negotiation process on the adjustment of the Karabakh conflict is not hopeless. The President of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev has expressed such opinion in the interview with journalists after the returning from Kazakhstan.
BAKU.03.03.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: On March 4 the President of Georgia Mr. Michail Saakashvili arrives in Georgia with an official visit.
BAKU.03.03.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: The President of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev considers that "for the present there is not a necessity in holding of the summit meeting of the Chiefs of the Caspian states". The President of Azerbaijan has declared this in his interview to journalists after his return from Kazakhstan, where he had visited to for two days.
BAKU.03.03.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: In 2004 Kazakhstan will deliver 4.5 cubic meters of gas to Azerbaijan. As it has been informed in the press service of the National Company "KazMunayGaz", the General Director of the CJC "CasRosGaz" Mr. Anuarbek Argingazin and the President of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Mr. Natig Aliyev have signed the contract on this during the visit to Kazakhstan of the President of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev.
BAKU.03.03.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: "Kazakhstan would like to use the Azerbaijan experience in the oil machinery, possibly in a way of foundation of the joint enterprises. Everybody know that the oil machinery on the territory of the CIS began from Baku". The Premier of Kazakhstan expressed such opinion during negotiations held in Astana yesterday with the President of Azerbaijan.
BAKU.03.03.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: The Marketing and Economic Operations Office of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan exported 56.305 thou tons of oil products.
BAKU.03.03.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: The Recearch Center of the SOCAR Azlab makes preparations for receiving the International Quality Certificate of the ISO 9001:2000 (The International Standardization Organization). At the present time, Media-Press has been informed in the SOCAR, the procedure of agreeing of the relevant documents is in the process.
BAKU.03.03.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: On June 1 - 4 the 11th International exhibition and conference "The Caspian Oil & Gas" is held in Baku.
As the press-service of the JC "Azenerji" informs, joining of the transformer by 40 MVA has been completed already, adjustment works have been conducted and the transformer was tested by voltage. Now five gas turbine installations by a capacity of which by 22 MVt constructed on the territory of the terminal should be connected to the substation. Just these installations will provide the Sangachal terminal for electric power being required.
Now experts of "Azerenerji" and BP-Azerbaijan discuss the issue of parallel operation of the substation "Terminal" and "Sangachal". Five km line has been laid already between these substations.
We shall remind that the reconstruction of the substation "Sangachal" was completed in the end of the past year. The new transformer by a capacity of 125 MVA was established on it. The JC "Azenerji" and the German Company Siemens carry out these works.
FIXED SUPPLIES OF LIQUID HYDROCARBONS MAKE 130 BN BBL IN IRAN
As Mr. Kh. Ganimifar has noted this is connected with this that for the present geological exploration woirks on 80% of the territory and shore shelf of Iran for determination of liquid hydrocarbon supplies have not conducted.
Meanwhile, the Iranian experts have completed three-dimensional seismic exploration with a goal of determination of the fields on the Iranian shelf of the Caspian Sea. As the Iran News informs, about 2 months would be required for analyses and processing of received data.
In accordance with declarations of the Iranian specialists, the realization of the projects on estimation of oil and gas fields in the southern part of the Caspian Sea is in progress successfully. The floating derrick is built in the port Neka and it should be put into operation on September of this year in accordance with the schedule.
THE MINISTER OF ENERGY OF TURKEY: IRAN CONSIDERS POSITIVELY THE SUGGESTION ON REDUCTION OF PRICES FOR GAS
As the Agency IRNA, Mr. Guler has noted that "the contract between our countries provides for a possibility of revision of prices and Ankara has provided for a week to Tehran to start negotiations on this issue".
By the words of the Turkish Minister, on the next week the meeting of the chiefs of two countries will be held, and issues of reduction of prices for the Iranian gas delivered to Turkey will be considered. After the reduction of prices for the Turkish consumers by Iran a cost of gas purchased by them will be also reduced. Mr. Guler has expressed a sureness that the negotiations will complete successfully.
Having speaking about the economic cooperation between two countries in total, Mr. Guler has emphasized that the gas delivery through the territory of Turkey to Europe is the prior trend for Iran. However, he has noted, this issue should be considered complexly. If Iran reduces the price for its gas for Turkey the rest issues may be considered later.
At last year Iran has delivered about 3.5 bn cubic meters of gas to Turkey, and this year Turkey should purchase more than 6 bn cubic meters in accordance with the contract.
ON FEBRUARY TAX EMLOYEES TRANSFERRED 352.8 BN MANATS TO THE STATE BUDGET OF AZERBAIJAN
We shall remind that by results of 2003 the Ministry of Taxes transferred 4.1122 trln manats to the state budget. The forecast on tax transfers was executed by 101.2% for the past year. The Ministry of Taxes provided 70% of all earnings of the budget. Such results were achieved owing to reforms in the tax system of Azerbaijan and it has brought to the significant increase of tax organs activity and ensuring of the budget earnings stability.
THE INVESTMENT COMPETITION ON SALE OF STOCKS OF THE JC "GARADAG PLANT OF RUBBER ADMIXTURES"
In accordance with the conditions of the competition, pretenders should present the investment program, providing for introduction of new technologies, improvement of the production quality, and restoration of the working places and social protection of the employees. The winner of competition should transfer 2.4 bn manats to the state budget and 100 thou privatization cheques for redemption. Besides, the company-winner is liable to transfer 5% of cost of the investment program to accounts of the JC.
The authorized capital of the JC makes 17.18 bn manats. The creditor debts of the JC make 95.5 MM manats, debtor ones - 2.2 MM manats.
THE WB, THE INSTITUTE "OPEN SOCIETY" AND THE EVRASIAN FUND WILL ALLOCATE $100 THOU FOR FINANCING OF THE PROGRAM OF SMALL GRANTS IN AZERBAIJAN
200 OFFICIALS OF THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR OF GEORGIA HAVE RETIRED
THE PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN: THE SITUATION IN THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS ON ADJUSTMENT OF THE KARABAKH CONFLICT IS NOT HOPELESS
The President has emphasized that some declarations of the co-chairmen of the Minsk Group of the OSCE on Nagorny Karabakh including Russia regarding this problem were enough hopeful". "I think that there is an adjustment way and it is clear for everybody - it is leaving occupied territories of Azerbaijan and restoration of its territorial integrity", - Mr. Ilham Aliyev has said and emphasized that this way bases on the international laws acting today.
If the co-chairmen base on the mentioned principles, the adjustment will be found.
ON MARCH 14 THE PRESIDENT OF GEORGIA MR. MICHAEL SAAKASHVILI ARRIVES IN BAKU WITH AN OFFICIAL VISIT
As Media-Press has been informed in the Embassy of Georgia in Azerbaijan, in the first day of visit Mr. Saakashvili will conduct negotiations with the President of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev and issues and perspectives of mutual cooperation will be considered during them. By the information of source from the State Office of Georgia the continuing construction of the pipeline Baku - Tbilisi - Ceyhan will be one of the main matters of the negotiations.
By a schedule a signing of agreements on cooperation in the field of information and education should be signed in accordance with results of the visit. The same day the President of Georgia will meet with the Chairman of Milli Mejlis (the Parliament of Azerbaijan) MR. Murtuz Aleskerov.
The program of the visit includes supposedly visiting the Sangachal Oil termnal and Baku Deep Water Offshore Derricks Plant operated in the projects of oil and gas production and construction of exporting pipelines, which will be laid through the territory of Georgia.
And today in the talk with journalists in Tbilisi Mr. M. Saakashvili said that Azerbaijan "is the most important satellite and friend of Georgia". He has noted that during the forthcoming visit to Baku he intends "to emphasize again the true friendship and brotherhood of peoples of both the countries".
"Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia - are parts of the same region. We should pay more attention to strengthening of our relations. The policy of the Georgia authorities keeps this position", - he has noted.
On March 5 the President of Georgia returns to Tbilisi.
FOR THE PRESENT THE PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN DOES NOT SEE A NECESSITY IN HOLDING OF A SUMMIT MEETING OF THE CHIEFS OF THE CASPIAN STATESVISIT
"For the present exerts should work", - the President Mr. I. Aliyev has said. He has emphasized that there are not disagreements in positions of Baku and Astana in this issue.
If the Azerbaijan-Russian and Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan relations are taken as a base, as well as the Russian-Kazakhstan agreements on the Caspian sharing, the total agreement on the Sea status could be got. "The available agreement between us create the fine base for this", - he has said.
Earlier on the negotiations in Astana Mr. I. Aliyev has said, that there is a very good base for total adjustment of this issue: agreements between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia, Russia and Azerbaijan are based on international regulations and practice". These bilateral agreements include totally all issues, which could be reflected and in multisided agreement".
By his words, today the Caspian sharing principle - and just the sector on - does not causes any questions. Two countries: Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan has maintained this position since a very beginning. Further other countries have joined to it. "I am sure if our acting agreements are taken a base of entire agreement, we would be able very easily and painlessly get a relevant agreement", - the President of Azerbaijan has emphasized.
4.5 CUBIC METERS OF THE KAZAKHSTAN GAS WOULD BE DELIVERED TO AZERBAIJAN IN 2004
Mr. "KazRosGaz" started the gas deliveries since Jaunary of the current year by the information of press-service of KaMunayGaz. For January - February Azerbaijan has already imported almost 1 cubic meters of gas from Kazakhstan. The SOCAR buys the Kazakhstan gas for a price of $52 for 1 thou cubic meters. The annual demand of the Azerbaijan market in the import gas makes about 6 bn cubic meters.
KAZAKHSTAN WOULD LIKE TO USE THE AZERBAIJAN EXPERIENCE IN THE OIL MACHINERY
He has reminded that in the next time Kazakhstan starts the development of a whole number of new oil and gas fields and the country will need in the oil industry equipment.
At first time machinery plants of the JC "Azneftechimmash" would be able to satisfy these demands; five of theme have a right of marking their production on the international standards ISO (The International Standardization Organization) and API (American Petroleum Institute). These enterprises manufacture fountain armature, valves, depth pumps, and derricks. The Scientific Research Institute and Special Constructor Bureau of "Azneftekhimmash" received the International Standardization Organization.
The reception of the certificates ISO and API gives a right to them for participation in the international tenders, but first of all it means that the manufactured production corresponds to the international standards. In times of the USSR the manufactured production corresponds to the international standards. In times of the USSR the industrial company of "Soyuzneftemmash" renamed to "Azneftekhimmash" provided up to 70% of demands of the Soviet oil and gas workers in the field equipment. However, after the collapse of the USSR the production of the Baku machinery constructors lost sales markets and were not considered on the international scale. And incongruity to the standards of the ISO and API was one of the reasons of this.
ON FEBRUARY THE MEOO OF THE STATE OIL COMPANY OF AZERBAIJAN EXPORTED 209 THOU TONS OF OIL AND 56 THOU TONS OF OIL PRODUCTS
As Media-Press has been informed in the SOCAR, diesel fuel made the major export volume. 32.963 thou tons of it was exported. 11.942 thou t of car benzene, 11.399 thou tons of aicraft kerosene were exported. Butane and furnace fuels were not exported on February. Totally the MEOO exported 117.322 thou ton of oil products since the beginning of the year. The Azerbaijan diesel fuel is of the greatest export demand and 74 of it were exported since the beginning of the year. This exceeds the benzene export more than in two times (29.865 thou tons).
The SOCAR exported 209.305 thou tons of oil by the pipeline Baku - Novorossisk. And for the past two months of 2004 the volume of export of the Azerbaijan oil by this route made 557.401 thou tons.
We shall remind that in the current year the volumes of pumping on this route will remain almost on the former level and make 2.5 MM tons. The tarif on the Azerbaijan oil pumping on the "northern" route makes $15.67 for a ton. (For a comparison: tariff for the transit of the Azerbaijan oil by the pipeline Baku - Supsa makes 2.7 per a ton).
The pipeline Baku - Novorossisk was put into operation on October 25, 1997; annually the SOCAR exports about 2.5 MM tons of oil. The pumping volume for this year remains on the same level by a schedule. In accordance with intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Azerbaijan concluded on January 1999, it is automatically prolonged every year if one of sides does not inform another one about its intension to stop its force before a half of a year up to expiry date.
THE RESEARCH CENTER AZLAB WILL RECEIVE THE INTERNATIONAL QUALITY CERTIFICATE OF THE ISO
Earlier Azlab received the certificate of the State Standardization of Azerbaijan. Now after receiving of the International Quality Certificate the officials of this enterprise hope to become a scientific-research center of all the Caspian Region.
Azlab was founded in 1997 as the JC of closed type. The Industrial Company of the SOCAR on the oil and gas offshore production (50%), the French Service Company Schlumberger (25%) and the Turkish Oil Company TRAO (25%) became its shareholders.
The Center has been provided for modern equipment, which makes available four types of analyses of oil. For seven years Azlab has executed orders of companies BP, AIOC, CIPSO, Karasu,JAOC, Exxon, Salyan Oil, Partex (Kazakhstan) Ural Oil & Gas, MAERSK, Dragon Oil, Uzbekneftegas, Frontera and Exxon/ Mobile.
ON JUNE 1 THE 11TH INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION AND CONFERENCE "THE CASPIAN OIL & GAS" OPENS IN BAKU
As Media-Press has been informed in the Company Caspian Invest Ltd., which is one of organizers of the exhibition, participation of both the companies operating long time ago in Azerbaijan and those ones, which has no participated in it for several yearsby different reasons is expected.
The new introductions of the exhibition are the national pavilions from France, the Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Iran, Norway, USA and a number of other countries. And the largest international oil and gas concerns and companies, contractor companies and as well as growing number of small and middle enterprises, some which will be represented in the Azerbaijan national pavilion are expected amongst the traditional participants. Expectedly a number of the exhibition participants will grow by 25% in comparison with 2003.
The conference on the theme "New Goals and Capacities in Satisfaction of the Global Energy Resources Demand" will be held within frameworks "The Caspian & Gas - 2004". It is known already that the Minister of Fuel and Energy of Azerbaija Mr. Mejid Kerimov and a member of the British Parliament the Special Envoy of the Premier of the Great Britain on the foreign trade Mr. Brayan Wilson preside on it.
Expectedly, more than 40 reports will be done on the conference and high-ranked officials of leading operation companies, contractor companies and suppliers, regional oil and gas companies, ministries, large international institutes will speak out them. As usually, themes of their reports will touch actual problems of not only oil production and crude hydrocarbons, but also such sharp problems as capacities of the Caspian Region in satisfaction of the global energy resources demands, the energy industry demands in the Caspian region, goals and influence of the international society organization on the regional and local economy.
