Leaders from Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye gathered in Ceyhan on 13 July 2006 to formally inaugurate the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, a 4-billion-dollar project designed to move Caspian Sea crude to Türkiye's Mediterranean coast for onward shipment to Western nations.
Stretching 1,774 kilometers through Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye, the pipeline routes oil away from both Russia's energy network and Iran, reducing Western dependence on Middle Eastern supplies. The United States actively supported the alignment, which also sidesteps the congested Bosphorus Strait running through Istanbul.
Built by an international consortium led by BP, which holds a 30.1 percent stake, the pipeline is designed to carry up to 50 million tons of crude per year, though experts do not expect full capacity in the near term. Kazakhstan recently joined the project, committing an initial 7.5 million tonnes annually. A first cargo left Ceyhan for Italy on 4 June in a technical trial run.
Senior officials attending the ceremony included British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs. For Türkiye, the opening strengthens Ankara's ambition to serve as a major energy transit hub linking Caspian and Middle Eastern producers to European consumers.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in July 2006, in its own words.