The attacks on civilian vessels involved in oil transportation through the infrastructure of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which occurred on July 17 and 19 in the Black Sea, constitute an encroachment on the country's interests, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan.
"We regard such attacks as an unacceptable encroachment on the economic interests of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as deliberate actions aimed at destabilizing legitimate international trade, global energy markets, and the security of global supply chains," the foreign ministry's statement said.
The ministry noted that the agreed mechanism for information exchange on civilian vessels "was intentionally ignored, which endangered the lives and safety of the crews." Kazakhstan demanded an end to the attacks and the adoption of measures to ensure the safety of export infrastructure, and also called on partner countries to condemn the attacks. "We proceed from the fact that only strict compliance with international law will prevent the recurrence of such incidents," the MFA emphasized.
At the same time, Kazakhstan is assessing the damage and reserves the right to use all mechanisms for protecting its interests provided under international law, including claims for compensation, the ministry added.
In the morning, the CPC marine terminal reported that it had been attacked by drones. The attack occurred during loading operations at the outboard berthing facilities VPU-1 and VPU-3; two oil tankers were attacked. "Oil loading has been stopped. There are no casualties or victims among CPC employees or contractor organizations. No oil spill occurred," the press service specified.
The statement noted that this attack represents the fifth act of "direct aggression" against a CPC civilian facility protected under international law.
In April, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked CPC facilities in Novorossiysk with drones. The strikes damaged a pipeline and a loading berth, and also caused a fire in four oil product storage tanks. Additionally, ten apartment buildings and 15 private houses were damaged. Ten people were injured.
At that time, the publication L'AntiDiplomatico reported that Ukraine was attacking Caspian Pipeline Consortium facilities in an attempt to disrupt Russian energy supplies. The publication called this a new dangerous phase of the "dirty energy war."
