Azernews.Az

EU, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan continue negotiating on Trans-Caspian gas pipeline construction, a source in the Energy Department of the European Commission told Trend news agency on Friday.

"Negotiations ongoing," the source said.

However, according to the source, no agreements have been reached yet.

Trans-Caspian gas pipeline running to around 300 kilometers will be laid from the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijani, where it will be linked to the Southern Gas Corridor. Negotiations between Turkmenistan and the EU and other countries on the construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline have been ongoing since the late 90s.

In September 2011 the EU Council gave a mandate for negotiations between the EU, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to build the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline. However, later, Iran and Russia expressed negative attitude toward this project. Tehran and Moscow think that the pipeline construction will damage the Caspian Sea environment.

The Southern Gas Corridor is a major energy project for the EU. It is intended to diversify routes and sources of supply. It is aimed at ensuring EU energy security. Gas which will be produced during the second stage of Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field development is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects.