Burgas-Alexandropoulos not alternative to BTC pipeline, says Azeri Premier

"Kazakhstan's being a developed country and our best fraternal ties pave the way for further advancement of cooperation," he added.

Mr. Masimov said the two countries are enjoying excellent cooperation relations in all spheres.

Artur Rasizade noted that the countries, themselves, should be interested in transporting energy supplies toward Europe, APA reports.

"Azerbaijan can take part in transit of deliveries. It is our stance," he said, adding that Azerbaijan doesn't look on the Burgas-Alexandropoulos project as an alternative to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline [delivering Azeri oil to Ceyhan, a Turkish port, via Georgia and Turkey and onward to the world market].

"Even, we have recently considered the Burgas-Alexandropoulos pipeline as an option to pump our crude to the world market. Azerbaijan can join other pipelines within the nearest 25 years," Russia, Bulgaria and Greece signed a deal last month that would pave the way for construction of a pipeline linking Russian oil to the Mediterranean, bypassing the busy Bosporus Strait in Turkey.

Construction of the pipeline that will unite Burgas, the port of Bulgaria on the coast of the Black Sea with Alexandropoulos, the port of Greece on the coast of the Aegean Sea is expected to be complete in 2010.