Azernews.Az

Turkey expects to conclude talks shortly with Azerbaijan over the price of gas imports, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said on Wednesday, adding he did not see Turkey’s peace efforts with Azerbaijan’s old foe, Armenia, holding back a deal, Reuters reported.
Should the long-running negotiations end in failure it would complicate attempts to secure gas supplies for the EU-backed Nabucco pipeline project.
Nabucco is meant to reduce European dependence on gas from Russia, which currently supplies about a quarter of the continent's needs.
Analysts have feared that protocols signed by Turkey and Armenia late last year to open their common border could make Azerbaijan less willing to sell gas to Turkey.
Yildiz told Reuters he didn't see this impacting negotiations, and he expected an agreement on price soon.
"I am convinced that political issues, such as Armenia, will not hinder a conclusion with our brother country Azerbaijan," Yildiz said in an interview.
Azerbaijan has warned that it could find other buyers for its gas if Turkey did not improve its terms.
Russia has courted Azerbaijan for gas supplies that could help provide throughput for its South Stream pipeline, which also aims to feed European markets.
Yildiz said Turkey would do what is necessary to support the $7.9 billion Nabucco project, and expressed conficence that supplies for the pipeline would be sewn up.
"I'm not worried about supply or demand for the Nabucco pipeline ... I don't see a risk to the construction of the line," he said.
An executive of Austria's OMV, one of the partners in Nabucco, said last month that the pipeline would not be built if demand was too low.
Besides OMV and Turkey, Bulgaria's Bulgargaz, Germany's RWE , Hungary's MOL and Romania's Transgaz are partners in the project. *