Azernews.Az

Russia has no plans to strike the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza has said.
"If Russia wanted to destroy the conduit, it would have already done so," Bryza told Echo Moskvi radio station.
Earlier, news from Georgia reported that Russian warplanes had attempted to bomb the BTC pipeline, which pumps oil to the West and runs through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey.
Tensions escalated in Georgia`s breakaway republic of South Ossetia early this month. Russia sent troops to the region and pounded Georgian positions after Tbilisi launched an offensive to retake the pro-Russian, breakaway region. This military action ended following five days of deadly fighting. Under a ceasefire agreement reached with France`s mediation on August 17, Russia and Georgia agreed to pull back their troops to those positions they held prior to the outbreak of hostilities.
However, Bryza said Russian peacekeepers could no longer retain their previous neutral status in the Georgian-Ossetian zone. He explained that Russia has already demonstrated that it is a party to the conflict, which precludes its role as participating in an international peacekeeping force.
"How could they be called peacekeepers while also being a party to the conflict?" the State Department official asked. "I don`t know who should replace Russian peacekeepers, but I don`t think they can retain their status there."
Bryza emphasized that the destruction of both Georgian military and civilian infrastructures by Russia runs counter to international principles.
He added that after the latest developments, the process of Georgia`s admission to NATO will be accelerated. Indeed, the United States will assist Georgia, and another Western-leaning ex-Soviet republic, Ukraine, in their admission bids, according to Bryza.
He also predicted that Russia`s admission to the World Trade Organization (WTO) will be delayed due to its latest military incursion.