Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 16 / Trend E. Kosolapova/
Turkey can acquire Kazakh gas only through Russian Gazprom, spokesman for Kazakh National Oil and Gas Company KazMunaiGas Konstantin Kharlamov told Trend over phone on Thursday.
"According to the agreements, Gazprom takes the total amount of gas exported by Kazakhstan. Thus, Turkey can acquire Kazakh gas only through Gazprom," Kharlamov said.
Turkish-Russian joint venture Bosphorus Gas plans to import gas from Kazakhstan to Turkey via the western route, the company CEO Metin Sen said on Feb. 14, Zaman newspaper reported.Sen said that Bosphorus Gas has all the legal rights to import Kazakh gas and plans to purchase annually about 750 million cubic meters of gas within 10 years.
However, no negotiations were held between Kazakhstan and Bosphorus Gas. Moreover, contract liabilities to Gazprom exclude the possibility of Kazakh gas export through the third companies, Kharlamov said.
Meanwhile, Kharlamov admits resale of Kazakh gas by Gazprom to Bosphorus Gas.
"We sell our gas to Gazprom. Then Gazprom can distribute this gas at its discretion," Kharlamov said.
Bosphorus Gaz Corporation is a gas importer and distributor in Turkey. Russian Gazprom is one of its main shareholders.
Gazprom is the largest producer of natural gas in the world and the major Russian company. Its major business lines are geological exploration, production, transportation, storage, processing and marketing of hydrocarbons, as well as generation and marketing of heat and electric power. The Russian government has a controlling stake in the company.
KazMunaiGaz is the Kazakh national operator for exploration, production, refining and transportation of hydrocarbons, representing the state interests in oil and gas industry of Kazakhstan. 100 percent of KazMunayGas shares are owned by Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund.