photo credit : gov.kz

The Kazakh Foreign Ministry has released a statement on Jan. 14, addressing recent incidents involving tankers en route to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) marine terminal in the Black Sea.

The ministry expressed serious concern over attacks carried out on Jan. 13 by unmanned aerial vehicles against three tankers bound for the CPC marine terminal.

“In this regard, during immediate meetings with ambassadors of several European countries, as well as with representatives of the United States and other international partners, we emphasized the urgent need to take effective measures to ensure the security of hydrocarbon transportation, including along maritime routes, in full compliance with international law,” reads the statement.

“We underscore that Kazakhstan is not a party to any armed conflict, makes a significant contribution to global and European energy security, and ensures the uninterrupted supply of energy resources in full accordance with established international norms. Accordingly, we note that the aforementioned tankers possessed all the required permits and were equipped with the necessary identification systems,” reads the statement.

The statement noted that the increasing frequency of such incidents underscores growing risks to the functioning of international energy infrastructure and emphasized the need for close cooperation with international partners to develop joint measures aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future.

source: Astana Times