KAZAKHSTAN TOLD THE EUROPEAN UNION ON THURSDAY IT SUPPORTED PROPOSALS TO BUILD A NATURAL GAS PIPELINE ACROSS THE CASPIAN SEA THAT COULD LINK THE CENTRAL ASIAN STATE'S GAS FIELDS DIRECTLY WITH WESTERN MARKETS, REUTERS REPORTED. EUROPE GETS A THIRD OF ITS GAS FROM RUSSIA BUT IS LOOKING FOR ALTERNATIVE SOURCES AFTER RUSSIA CUT SUPPLIES BRIEFLY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR DUE TO A ROW WITH UKRAINE. KAZAKH ENERGY MINISTER BAKTYKOZHA IZMUKHAMBETOV, SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER TALKS WITH VISITING EU ENERGY COMMISSIONER ANDRIS PIEBALGS, SAID A GAS PIPELINE ACROSS THE CASPIAN SEA COULD BE AN OPTION. "THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN WANTS TO BUILD UP COOPERATION WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION TO DIVERSIFY HYDROCARBON EXPORT ROUTES," HE SAID, SPEAKING ALONGSIDE PIEBALGS. THE ENERGY MINISTRY WILL SEND A PROPOSAL TO THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION ON A FEASABILITY STUDY FOR A TRANS-CASPIAN PIPELINE, HE SAID. CHOOSING EXPORT ROUTES IS A BIG ISSUE FOR KAZAKHSTAN, WHICH HAS FEW OPTIONS BUT TO SELL MUCH OF ITS OUTPUT CHEAPLY VIA RUSSIAN GAS MONOPOLY GAZPROM.
