Aliyev welcomes Nabucco deal
Azerbaijan welcomes Monday`s signing of a deal by
the transit countries of the Nabucco pipeline that aims to supply
Caspian and Middle Eastern gas to Europe, President Ilham Aliyev
has said on a visit to Britain.
President Aliyev was quoted by CNN Turk TV channel as saying during an address at Chatham House in London that the clinching of the deal was of tremendous importance. Aliyev said that, if there is confidence that the project will benefit Azerbaijan, the country will be willing to sell its gas. He emphasized that the South Caucasus republic possesses sufficient reserves of natural gas for west-bound exports.
The governments of the states through which the conduit will run, bypassing Russia, signed the deal in Ankara, in a bid to curb Moscow`s dominance on gas supplies to world markets. The Nabucco Intergovernmental Agreement, signed by the prime ministers of Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Austria, represents a milestone in diversifying EU energy supplies.
The president noted that Azerbaijan and Turkey have yet to sign a transit agreement, expressing hope that this will happen.
According to him, the agreement should be based on fair terms and internationally-recognized principles.
"Azerbaijan signed a political declaration supporting the Nabucco project this May. And we have always stated that, if Nabucco is built, and we are satisfied with the terms offered commercially, Azerbaijan will gladly transport its gas through this pipeline as well."
The 3,300-kilometer Nabucco pipeline -- which will run from eastern Turkey to the Austrian capital Vienna close to the Baumgarten gas hub -- is expected to come online in 2014. When fully operational, it could carry 31 billion cubic meters of gas annually and supply between 5-10 percent of the EU`s projected gas consumption in 2020. Azerbaijan, Iraq and Egypt are seen as the main suppliers for Nabucco.
President Aliyev was quoted by CNN Turk TV channel as saying during an address at Chatham House in London that the clinching of the deal was of tremendous importance. Aliyev said that, if there is confidence that the project will benefit Azerbaijan, the country will be willing to sell its gas. He emphasized that the South Caucasus republic possesses sufficient reserves of natural gas for west-bound exports.
The governments of the states through which the conduit will run, bypassing Russia, signed the deal in Ankara, in a bid to curb Moscow`s dominance on gas supplies to world markets. The Nabucco Intergovernmental Agreement, signed by the prime ministers of Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Austria, represents a milestone in diversifying EU energy supplies.
The president noted that Azerbaijan and Turkey have yet to sign a transit agreement, expressing hope that this will happen.
According to him, the agreement should be based on fair terms and internationally-recognized principles.
"Azerbaijan signed a political declaration supporting the Nabucco project this May. And we have always stated that, if Nabucco is built, and we are satisfied with the terms offered commercially, Azerbaijan will gladly transport its gas through this pipeline as well."
The 3,300-kilometer Nabucco pipeline -- which will run from eastern Turkey to the Austrian capital Vienna close to the Baumgarten gas hub -- is expected to come online in 2014. When fully operational, it could carry 31 billion cubic meters of gas annually and supply between 5-10 percent of the EU`s projected gas consumption in 2020. Azerbaijan, Iraq and Egypt are seen as the main suppliers for Nabucco.
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