Azernews.Az

Russia and Iran have no grounds for concern over the environmental impact of the project on building a pipeline that will ship Turkmen natural gas across the Caspian Sea to Europe, head of the European Union delegation to Azerbaijan has said.

Roland Kobia told reporters Wednesday that there are no legal or environmental risks involved in the trans-Caspian pipeline project, recalling that pipelines extending for thousands of kilometers are being laid under a number of seas, such as Nord Stream, Blue Stream and South Stream.

"If construction of the [trans-Caspian] conduit begins, all environmental norms will be observed," Kobia said.

The European Union decided early last week to open talks with Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan on the trans-Caspian pipeline. The European Commission will lead negotiations on the proposed $5 billion pipeline, which is part of planned links known as the Southern Corridor, intended to reduce EU dependence on Russian gas.

Russia has said it "regretted" the EU move, saying only the five states bordering the Caspian Sea had the right to settle issues concerning its body of water. Iran said it shares Moscow's concern.