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The Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) project is the cornerstone of Europe’s energy security policy, Rikard Scoufias, country manager of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) project for Greece, said in an interview with Energypress.

“So our task in TAP is to play an important role in reaching this goal,” he added.

Regarding the possibility of Russian gas flow through TAP, Scoufias noted that any country which wants to use the European infrastructure should abide by the EU legislation.

Earlier, deputy CEO of Russia’s Gazprom Alexander Medvedev said that the company is discussing the possibility of using Poseidon and TAP to export gas to Europe.

“No one denies that Russia is a key partner for Europe in gas supply. In any case, security of energy supply is based on the principle of differentiation,” he said.

As for the progress in the implementation of the TAP project, the country manager said that the work is on schedule. It is planned to complete the pipeline’s construction by late 2018, he said, adding that the pipeline will be tested with gas in 2019 and become fully operational in 2020.

TAP is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor which is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union.

TAP project envisages transportation of gas from the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas and condensate field to the EU countries.

The pipeline will be connected to the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy's south.

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