Azernews.Az

BAKU – Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and the European Union have reached agreement to build a gas pipeline that will link the two countries through the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijani Energy Minister Natig Aliyev was quoted by Interfax Azerbaijan news agency as saying on Wednesday.

Aliyev told journalists that Baku has recently held talks on the issue with the EU’s energy commissioner in Frankfurt that were joined by the Central Asian state’s representatives.

The minister said Baku and Ashgabat are developing the project.

"We have agreed to establish a joint taskforce that will include experts from the EU, foreign companies operating in Azerbaijan as well as [Azerbaijan's] state oil company," Aliyev said.

The sub-sea pipeline could become part of the Nabucco conduit, which seeks to transport Caspian and Central Asian gas to European markets.

According to Aliyev, a declaration on the Southern Corridor of planned pipelines reflecting Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and the EU’s stance will be adopted, along with the signing of an inter-governmental agreement.

The Southern Corridor is a priority EU energy project diversifying supply routes and sources and increasing EU energy security. The Southern Corridor includes the Nabucco gas pipeline, Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), White Stream, and Turkey-Greece-Italy (ITGI) pipeline. Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan are considered potential suppliers of energy for the pipelines.