LATVIA IS INTERESTED IN CASPIAN REGION

Latvian government considers the Caspian region as one of prior directions of development of "Western pipeline system", the Secretary of the Latvian Economy Ministry Kaspars Gerkhards stated at today's Moscow conference "Export of Caspian oil and gas". CNA correspondent informs that Mr Gerkhard said that today extension of Atirau-Samara pipeline to the port of Ventspils is to become the key task in Caspian direction.

Coordination of further actions with Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and Lithuania are necessary, Mr. Gerghards said, adding that "cooperation with Kazakhstan is under the way currently". The Latvian state secretary of Economy Ministry reminded that the consular department of the Republic of Kazakhstan was opened September 8 in Riga. He added that on September 5 the Latvian Prime Minister Andris Berzinsh and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed Agreement on transit of 3-5 million tons of Kazakh oil annually. As of implementation of Atirau-Samara-Ventspisl project the capacity of the largest in the Europe Ventspislk port will reach up to 50 million tons of oil and oil products annually. Now the port uses only 54% of its capacity.