media advisory
friends of the earth international
c.e.e. bankwatch network
new reports find btc pipeline unsafe for
azeri citizens
AMSTERDAM (the Netherlands), 24 May 2005
-- Two reports released today, ahead of
tomorrow's Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline
'opening' ceremony in Baku, reveal
significant concerns regarding the
environmental and social damage being caused
by the World Bank and European Bank for
Reconstruction & Development (EBRD)
backed project in Azerbaijan and Georgia.
As western dignitaries gather to celebrate
the initial flow of Caspian oil - although
the Georgian section of the pipeline is still
incomplete - local and international
environmental groups pointed to the reports'
findings from the field and believe that
there is considerable unfinished BTC
business.
The reports [1] produced by CEE Bankwatch
Network, Friends of the Earth England, Wales
& Northern Ireland, Les Amis de la Terre,
France, Green Alternative, Georgia and the
National Ecological Center for Ukraine,
summarise information obtained during
fact-finding missions to Azerbaijan and
Georgia in October 2004.
The reports come only four days after
peaceful demonstrators in Baku were forcibly
removed by police [2].
The Georgian report contains leaked
documents detailing disputes between the
Georgian Government, oil company BP and
International Financial Institutions
regarding some of these safety concerns, and
overall the two reports reveal a catalogue of
unresolved problems with the BTC project such
as environmental risks and compensation not
being adequately addressed [3].
Manana Kochladze, CEE Bankwatch Network's
Regional Coordinator for Caucasus, said, "The
developments around the construction of the
BTC pipeline unfortunately prove the serious
environmental and safety risks highlighted by
national and international environmentalists.
These risks have been rashly neglected by the
World Bank's International Finance
Corporation and the EBRD and as a result the
number of violations and breaches of
international standards is growing, putting
the people and environment along the pipeline
at ever greater risk."
Hannah Ellis, International Financial
Institutions Campaigner at Friends of the
Earth, said: "It is outrageous that public
money, provided by institutions like the
World Bank, has been used for this project
under the guise of “aid”. The Baku-Ceyhan
Pipeline is causing immense problems for the
people and the environment it is claiming to
serve. The World Bank and the other backers
of the pipeline should suspend operations
until key environmental and social risks
associated with the project have been
addressed."
for more information, contact:
Hannah Ellis, Friends of the Earth
England, Wales & N. Ireland, Tel: +44
(0)207 490 1555, Mobile: +44 (0)7952
876929
Manana Kochladze, Green Alternative/ CEE
Bankwatch Network Georgia, Tel:
+99599 916647, Mobile: +99599 223874
notes for editors:
1. An executive summary and full copies of
the reports are available at:
http://www.bankwatch.org/issues/oilclima/baku-ceyhan/downloads/2005/ffm_georgia_report_04-05.pdf
http://www.bankwatch.org/issues/oilclima/baku-ceyhan/downloads/2005/ffm_azeri_report_05-05.pdf
The leaked documents are available at:
http://www.bankwatch.org/issues/oilclima/baku-ceyhan/downloads/2005/leaks_safety_04-05.pdf
2. On Saturday, five days before the
ceremony, the Azerbaijan authorities in Baku
demonstrated their willingness to cancel out
opposition to the project. Demonstrators were
not allowed to uphold
their constitutional right to demonstrate as
riot police broke up a peaceful action in
Baku, on the grounds that it would have been
"inexpedient" before the arrival of the US
Energy Secretary, attending the opening
ceremony.
3. Concerns included in the reports
include:
- Uncompensated expropriated land
- Damage to property
- Drinking water pollution
- Non-compliance with Georgian state
environmental permit conditions
- High environmental and safety risks
- Increased pressure from the Ilham Aliev
regime human rights advocates
- Extreme lack of due diligence on the part
of the International Finance
Corporation (IFC) and the European Bank for
Reconstruction and
Development (EBRD).
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