Russia 'has no questions' over Azerbaijan's position on Trans-Caspian gas pipeline
By Aynur Jafarova
Russia has no questions concerning Azerbaijan's position on the construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline, Russian Ambassador Vladimir Dorokhin said at a meeting of the Caspian-European Integration Business Club (CEIBC) Wednesday.
"This question is the subject of negotiations on the status of the Caspian Sea, which has not been agreed upon," Dorokhin said. "There are the positions of Russia and Iran who believe that Trans-Caspian pipelines can be built if the environmental expertise is agreed upon by all Caspian littoral countries. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan believe that the environmental expertise must be approved only by the parties involved in a particular project. We believe that it would not be appropriate to launch any specific projects until the Caspian littoral countries agree upon these issues themselves."
Dorokhin said that Azerbaijan's position is to serve as a transit territory.
"The position is clear for us and does not raise any questions," he said. "So, any assumption that there is tension between us and Azerbaijan on the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline is wrong."
Azerbaijani Energy Minister Natig Aliyev told media Wednesday that drafting of two documents under the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline project is drawing to a close and they must be signed by Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan's presidents and head of the European Commission, as well as the governments of the two littoral countries.
According to Aliyev, the first document will feature the support to the project by the three sides, while the second one must be signed between the Azerbaijani and Turkmen governments.
"We have conducted several meetings in this regard and now one can say that the documents are ready," Aliyev said, adding that only a few issues are to be clarified.
The minister noted that Turkmenistan has expressed its support for the project implementation. This means the Turkmen side is ready to deliver around 30 billion cubic meters of gas for the project. In turn, Azerbaijan is ready to ensure all conditions for the transportation of Turkmen gas.
The minister stressed that the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline is an important project within the Southern Gas Corridor and the project was re-submitted to the agenda by the European Union.
Earlier, head of the European Union Delegation to Azerbaijan Roland Kobia stated that the EU believes that it is in the interest of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan to be able to develop the Trans-Caspian Pipeline.
United States ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar earlier said that the U.S also has a positive attitude towards the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline project.
Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline running around 300 kilometers will be laid from the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, where it will be linked to the Southern Gas Corridor. The pipeline's capacity is 30-40 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
Negotiations on the construction of the pipeline between Turkmenistan, the EU and other countries have been held since the late 1990s. The negotiation process intensified after the European Union delivered a mandate to start negotiations on the preparation of an agreement between the EU, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan on the Trans-Caspian project in September 2011.
The Southern Gas Corridor is a major energy project for the EU. It is designed to diversify the routes and sources of energy supply and aims to ensure the EU energy security. The gas to be extracted during the second stage of developing Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field is being considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects.