Azernews.Az

BAKU – Azerbaijani Minister of Industry and Energy Natig Aliyev has said the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania Interconnector (AGRI) project is not an alternative to the Nabucco pipeline.

The minister, who took part in the discussions on the Baku Declaration under the AGRI project, said Nabucco, which will carry up to 31 billion cubic meters of gas annually, cannot be compared with AGRI.

"Nabucco is an absolutely different project, it is of large scale and envisions supplies of up to 31 billion cubic meters of gas annually, which is to be delivered not only from the Caspian region and Central Asia, but also from Iran, Iraq, Egypt and other countries. Therefore, the AGRI project can’t be considered an alternative."

Azerbaijani gas will flow through pipelines to the Black Sea coast of Georgia and further by tankers to the Romanian port of Constanta. The gas will be exported to Romania and other European countries.

The Nabucco pipeline project aims to decrease the European Union’s dependence on Russian imports by bringing Caspian gas to a hub in Austria via the Balkans. The gas would be shipped to Europe via Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary.