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Elmar Mammadyarov: "Azerbaijan plans to offer natural gas on European market"

08 April 2006 [17:13] - TODAY.AZ
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said his country planned to enter European natural gas markets in the future.

Azerbaijan wants to export natural gas by the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline with a capacity of 16 billion cubic metres a year, which can be increased to 20 million cubic metres.

The construction of the pipeline is expected to be completed by the end of this year, the minister said at the Washington-based Heritage Foundation on Friday, Itar-Tass reports.

"This meets our interests and will allow us to buy less gas from Russia and Iran or other countries, especially now that prices are growing. We will be self-sufficient in terms of gas supplies," Mammadyarov said.

He said Azerbaijan had already signed a contract on gas supplies to Georgia by the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline but did not provide the details of the deal.

Baku and Tbilisi are discussing a possible increase in these supplies, the minister added. But the outcome of the talks will depend on progress in the development of the Shakh-Deniz field in the Caspian Sea, 70 kilometres southeast of Baku, and greater investments in the project.

With the launch of the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline Azerbaijan will be able to supply gas through the Turkish gas system "most likely to any part of Europe".

Turkey is ready to buy gas from Azerbaijan, Mammadyarov said, adding that his country was also negotiating gas supplies to Greece with a possible extension to the Balkans, or the north of Italy or Central Europe.

"We are trying to put all these components together in order to take our gas to the international market next year or in 2008," the minister said.

Speaking of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Mammadyarov said the first oil tanker at its terminal would be loaded "most likely this summer".

URL: http://www.today.az/news/business/24928.html

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