President Aliyev calls for further efforts to implement S.Caucasus Pipeline Expansion project
By Aynur Jafarova
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree calling on relative officials to adopt effective measures for implementation of the South Caucasus (Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum) Pipeline Expansion project.
The measures include acquiring rights to land and other real estate.
The decree, signed on September 10, said the State Agency for Public Services and Social Innovations under the Presidency of Azerbaijan are instructed to organize several services by means of mobile "ASAN xidmet" services as of September 20 this year.
These services include state registration of acts of civil status acts and notary services, issuing and replacement of identity cards, all the services associated with the state registration of immovable property envisaged in the law on state registration of real estate, issuing archival information for physical and legal entities, receiving and providing documents in connection with the transfer of ownership, as well as using or leasing of lands under the municipal property.
The State Agency for Public Services and Social Innovations should inform the state commission, established under a presidential decree on measures adopted to transport Azerbaijan's natural gas to the world market via the Southern Gas Corridor and the progress of the works stipulated by the decree.
The state commission is responsible for monitoring the fulfillment of the decree and informing the president on the results of the works done.
The ceremony marking the launch of the South Caucasus (Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum) Pipeline Expansion project will take place on the 20th anniversary of signing of the 'Contract of the Century' on September 20.
The South Caucasus (Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum) Pipeline has been operational since late 2006, transporting gas to Azerbaijan and Georgia, and since July 2007 to Turkey from Shah Deniz Stage 1.
The South Caucasus Co. shareholders are BP, operator (28.8 percent), SOCAR (16.7 percent), Statoil (15.5 percent), Total (10 percent), Lukoil (10 percent), NICO (10 percent) and TPAO (9 percent).
The gas which will be produced at the second stage of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field development will be the main source of Southern Gas Corridor which envisages the transportation of the Caspian gas to European markets.