Brussels, 14/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - After receiving reassurance from Azerbaijan which, with its signing of a long-term gas agreement with the EU, assured the viability of the Southern Energy Corridor project and its main gas pipeline Nabucco, Commission President José Manuel Barroso is confident that Turkmenistan will also come on board.
From Baku, Barroso travelled on to Ashgabat on Friday 14 January looking for assurances from Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov on his country's involvement in the Southern Corridor project. Turkmenistan, which has the world's fourth largest gas reserves, has hitherto blown hot and cold on supplying Nabucco. Before his meeting with the Turkmen head of state, Barroso told Turkmen press on Friday morning that he was confident that “Turkmenistan will open up its very considerable gas reserves to Europe”. “We are ready to provide gas to the countries of Europe,” Berdymukhamedov said earlier this week. (E.H./transl.rt)