Azeri Minister Urges Support for Gas Pipeline From Caspian to Europe

Azerbaijani Industry and Energy Minister Natiq Aliyev has urged transit countries to support the Nabucco gas pipeline – a project to export Caspian gas to Europe.

“Transit countries, consumers, the leaders of these countries or high-ranking political forces should support it. First of all, there should be political solidarity and political support,” Aliyev said in an interview with private ANS TV on 19 October.

“Azerbaijan supports this project and we consider that the State Oil Company should participate in this project,” the minister added.

ANS TV reported that the construction of the Nabucco gas pipeline will end by 2011. The pipeline will be used to transport Caspian gas to Europe. The annual transportation capacity of the Nabucco project is 31bn cu.m. of gas and it will cost 5.8bn dollars.

The Day.az website reported on the same day that Azerbaijan’s State Oil Company has already started talks about its participation in the project. The website quoted Natiq Aliyev as saying at the opening ceremony of the Azerbaijani-German business forum today that “the Azerbaijani authorities under the leadership of Ilham Aliyev support this project and attach great importance to it”.

The minister also said that by 2020, Azerbaijan will have great potential as a gas exporter.

Originally published by ANS TV, Baku, in Azeri 1000 19 Oct 07.

(c) 2007 BBC Monitoring Central Asia. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.