Astana, Nov 30 (EFE).- The Kazakh Foreign Ministry on Sunday protested against the Ukrainian attack on facilities belonging to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (KTK) in the Russian port of Novorossiysk, which destroyed a terminal.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan expresses its protest over yet another deliberate attack on the critical infrastructure of the international Caspian Pipeline Consortium in the waters of the Port of Novorossiysk,” Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesman Aibek Smadiyarov said in a statement.
He said that this is the “third act of aggression against an exclusively civilian facility whose operation is safeguarded by norms of international law.”
“We view what has occurred as an action harming the bilateral relations of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and we expect the Ukrainian side to take effective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future,” he added.
The attack, carried out in the early hours of Saturday morning, did not cause an oil spill as the facility’s security systems were activated, closing the valves of the destroyed loading terminal.
However, authorities are taking samples of seawater in the area and monitoring the environmental situation, the consortium said.
The remaining terminals will resume operations “when there is no threat of attacks by naval or aerial drones,” KTK said Saturday.
The consortium comprises major companies from Kazakhstan, the United States, Russia, and several European countries, which is why it has accused Ukraine of “attacking the interests of the participating countries.”
In 2024, the pipeline transported more than 63 million tons of crude oil.
Ukrainian drones have been striking energy facilities in Russia for months, from refineries to oil pipelines, gas pipelines, and fuel depots. EFE