Southern Gas Corridor more than energy project, first messages from Baku meeting

/By AzerNews/

By Gulgiz Dadashova

The Southern Gas Corridor project in the core of the strategic energy partnership with Azerbaijan and EU’s commitment to the project realization are the main topics of the Baku meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor partners.

Baku hosts the first meeting of the Advisory Council of the Southern Gas Corridor with participation of representatives of all transit countries of the gas supply project.

This is a project that can encourage greater economic cooperation, improve energy security and create over 30,000 jobs in all countries along the Corridor, said Maros Sefcovic ahead of the meeting.

The EU Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Sefcovic, who arrived in Baku to attend the first Advisory Council, seems quite active during the closed meeting and tweeting about milestones live from the meeting.

“EU ready to deliver diversification and competition benefits also to South East Central European markets. Southern gas corridor imp contribution,” Sefcovic tweeted from the meeting.

The route that will deliver Azerbaijani gas to Europe was defined as a priority in the EU’s efforts to diversify sources and routes of energy supply.

The European Union hopes to secure natural gas supplies amid the tension in ties with the major supplier, Russia. At this juncture, Azerbaijan appeared as the most discussed option as a secure energy supplier.

Sefcovic hinted that the Southern Corridor project will also be a pillar in the relations with Turkey, which recently appeared to bring more topics for discussion due to Turkish Stream, joint initiative with Moscow.

“Propose to TK Minister Yildiz upgrading co-operation through launching energy high-level dialogue. Agree on early start,” Sefcovic tweeted.

Meanwhile, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Taner Yildiz said the Southern Gas Corridor, which includes TANAP as well, is a very important project for Europe, Anadolu agency reported.

Although Ankara is seeking alternative energy projects, TANAP is one of its priorities, according to Yildiz. “There are no political and technical problems for the implementation of the TANAP project,” he added.

Although no results of the meeting available yet, the Baku meeting is expected to get answers to the questions that have arisen in recent times.