Iran turns down exports of gas via Nabucco pipeline
Iran`s Oil Minister, Gholamhossein Nozari, says his
country has turned down exports of gas through the Nabucco pipeline
that will pump Caspian gas to Europe bypassing Russia.
He said Iran plans to take its gas to European markets by alternative routes - via Iraq and Syria. Its fuel, to be shipped instead through the Iran-Iraq-Syria pipeline, will continue for delivery to Greece and Italy across the Mediterranean Sea. According to Nozari, Iran, Iraq and Syria are expected to sign a respective trilateral agreement soon to pave the way for the project. Nozari emphasized that Tehran hopes Turkmenistan will also join the project in the future, which would allow exporting gas from the resource-rich Central Asian state to Europe via the Iran-Iraq-Syria pipeline.
The Nabucco project, worth 8 billion euros, envisions supplies through a 3,300-kilometer pipeline traveling through Azerbaijan and Turkey to Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria. So far, Iran has been considered among potential suppliers for the pipeline. However, the European Union`s hesitation about the benefits of the Nabucco initiative has prompted other countries to seek alternate routes for the supplies of energy resources. Thus, Turkmenistan has backed down from taking substantial steps to supply gas for the conduit, while Azerbaijan, after being unable to resolve its gas transit issues, signed a memorandum with Russia - an agreement long-sought by Moscow -- on selling its gas to its northern neighbor in the coming years. It is evident that Iran has now lost confidence in the feasibility of the Nabucco project as well, although it had was interested in pumping gas via the pipeline.
He said Iran plans to take its gas to European markets by alternative routes - via Iraq and Syria. Its fuel, to be shipped instead through the Iran-Iraq-Syria pipeline, will continue for delivery to Greece and Italy across the Mediterranean Sea. According to Nozari, Iran, Iraq and Syria are expected to sign a respective trilateral agreement soon to pave the way for the project. Nozari emphasized that Tehran hopes Turkmenistan will also join the project in the future, which would allow exporting gas from the resource-rich Central Asian state to Europe via the Iran-Iraq-Syria pipeline.
The Nabucco project, worth 8 billion euros, envisions supplies through a 3,300-kilometer pipeline traveling through Azerbaijan and Turkey to Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria. So far, Iran has been considered among potential suppliers for the pipeline. However, the European Union`s hesitation about the benefits of the Nabucco initiative has prompted other countries to seek alternate routes for the supplies of energy resources. Thus, Turkmenistan has backed down from taking substantial steps to supply gas for the conduit, while Azerbaijan, after being unable to resolve its gas transit issues, signed a memorandum with Russia - an agreement long-sought by Moscow -- on selling its gas to its northern neighbor in the coming years. It is evident that Iran has now lost confidence in the feasibility of the Nabucco project as well, although it had was interested in pumping gas via the pipeline.
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