Kazakhstan shows "Gazprom" the Road to China.
Moscow offered a new gas export route.
Kazakhstan has proposed "Gazprom" to implement "the western route" of gas supplies to China, running the pipeline through its territory. "Gazprom" still frowns upon the idea. According to the analysts the offer of Kazakhstan does not look too attractive, primarily due to the weak export prospects: a market niche in Western China is already occupied by the Turkmen gas.
Kazakhstan offers Russia to build a gas pipeline to China through their territory instead of the "Altai" project, Uzakbai Karabalin, the first deputy head of the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan, stated yesterday. According to him such a proposal came from the Kazakh President, Nursultan Nazarbayev and the Prime Minister Karim Massimov. "There is already one Russian pipeline in China (the yet to be built "The Power of Siberia".-"the Kommersant"), the second gas pipeline is planned through the Altai directly to China. We proposed to lay the gas pipeline through Astana with the exit to China near Horgos or Alashankow", - Mr. Karabalin stated (quoted by "the Interfax"). He added that "the Russian side expressed some interest" and now Kazakhstan and "Gazprom" create a working group to study the project. The Russian Ministry of Energy have confirmed to "the Kommersant" that Astana has addressed this proposal to "Gazprom" and the monopoly agreed to examine this question. "Gazprom" announced that "it knows about Kazakhstan".