Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24, 2005. The Open Society Institute - Assistance Foundation (OSI-AF) today announced the completion of an important phase in the BTC pipeline monitoring conducted by local NGOs in Azerbaijan with OSI-AF support.
In April, 2004 Open Society Institute - Assistance Foundation and BP Exploration (Caspian Sea) Limited (BP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding for supporting NGO monitoring and capacity building project. OSI-AF and BP acknowledged that construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline (BTC) is one of the most significant economic developments in the Azerbaijan Republic. It was agreed that during construction, various monitoring programs shall assess issues related to the BTC including: social issues in communities near the BTC; land ownership issues; environmental protection; historical preservation; local business content and protection of the rights of workers involved in the construction of the BTC.
Farda Asadov, OSI-AF/Azerbaijan Executive Director commented: "The project of civil society's monitoring of the BTC pipeline construction was not only about identifying positive and negative impacts of one of the world biggest construction projects, it was most importantly a first real opportunity for local civil society and a trans-national business giant to cooperate and engage in an equal, healthy, constructive and on-going dialogue".
Michael Townshend, Chief Executive of BTC commented: "BTC has been subject to an unprecedented degree of monitoring meeting international standards and encouraging public scrutiny. This monitoring initiative provides an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to transparency, to identify areas for improvement and play our role in strengthening the capacities of civil society".
