The energy summit scheduled to take place in Warsaw on May 11-13 makes little sense, said Poland today. According to RAI Novosti, Poland, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kazakhstan, the so-called Five, planned to agree on the construction of the Odessa-Gdansk gas pipeline and other routes of energy supplies bypassing Russia. About two weeks ago Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yushchenko said it was pointless to discuss a new gas route without Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. Now Kazakhstan is going to abstain from the summit. This became clear when President Vladimir Putin's travel schedule for May was announced. On May 10, the president arrived on a visit to Kazakhstan, and on May 11, he will go to Ashgabat to attend a tripartite summit of Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Evidently, Russia's counteroffensive on the energy front has achieved its first objective. Nursultan Nazarbayev, whom Lech Kaczynski personally invited in March to visit Poland, decided not to go. The Five have turned into a weak Four because all plans of the European strategists are based on Central Asian energy resources. The Azerbaijani leader's presence will allow the energy summit's organizers to save face, although Azerbaijan is hardly a serious oil-and-gas player. -- SPA
