US secretary of energy to visit Turkey

US Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson arrived yesterday in Turkey to hold talks about the expected projects to transport the gas and petroleum from the Caspian region to the Western markets through Turkey.

He also confirmed Washington's support for extending a pipeline from the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, to Gihan, a Turkish port on the Mediterranean Sea.

He said the fighting that erupted in Dagestan affected the security of the pipeline.

The Baku - Gihan pipeline is one of three projects recommended by an international conference working on making use of the petroleum fields around the Caspian Sea.