Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

If Russia's gas export to Turkey is suspended due to the situation in Ukraine, the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline (TANAP) can be an alternative and the most important project in the region.

The remarks were made by Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz on March 18, Turkish Anadolu agency reported.

The minister also noted that the political crisis in Ukraine increases the significance of the TANAP project.

The TANAP project, developed by Azerbaijan's state energy company SOCAR in collaboration with Turkish Botas and the energy company TPAO, will deliver Shah Deniz gas to the Turkish-Greek border from eastern Turkey.

The initial capacity of the pipeline will be 16 billion cubic meters of gas a year. TANAP will link up with Trans-Adriatic (TAP) pipeline on the Turkish-Greek border.

TANAP shareholders plan to lay the pipeline's foundation in the second quarter of 2014, and commission it in 2018. The costs of the TANAP project are estimated at $10 billion to $11 billion.

On February 26, several thousand people gathered in front of the Supreme Council of Crimea. After the escalation of the protests in Crimea, the Federation Council supported Russian President Vladimir Putin's appeal regarding the use of Russian armed forces in Ukraine pending "the normalization of the socio-political situation in that country".

The Crimean parliament made a decision to join Russia on March 6. The deputies also voted for a referendum on the status of the peninsula on March 16. The vast majority of the residents of Crimea - 96 percent - voted in favor seceding from Ukraine and joining Russia.

With the exception of Russia, most countries have refused to recognize the referendum and its results.

On March 18, Russia and Crimea signed an agreement on Crimea and the city of Sevastopol joining the Russian Federation.