Putin Strategically Looking East

Russian President Vladimir Putin has asked President Vyacheslav Shtyrov of the Sakha Republic in Siberia to submit his views concerning the construction of a new pipeline to carry oil and gas produced in the republic.

"It is an issue of state importance, a strategic matter, so please make all your views known to me," Putin said at a meeting in Khabarovsk devoted to transport issues. Speaking at the meeting, Shtyrov had mentioned the proposal for construction of a new pipeline, which, he said, could provide an alternative to the (Yukos-proposed) Angarsk-Daqing pipeline. Shtyrov said that Sakha Republic has significant oil and gas reserves, and the new pipeline would soon pay back any investment costs.