Brussels, 07/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - Azerbaijan is soon to sign a deal with the EU opening the road to long-term gas supplies for Europe, said Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliev, speaking at the opening of the international energy conference in Baku on Tuesday 7 June. Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger also attended. The deal, which is being finalised, will endorse Azerbaijan's participation in the pan-European Southern Gas Corridor project, which will bring gas from the Caspian Sea and Central Asia to Europe, via the new gas pipelines including the famous Nabucco pipeline. Aliev said he believes the Southern Corridor has a “bright future”, also saying that talks with Turkey on a new gas transit agreement was in its final stages. “This will remove all obstacles to the supply of large amounts of Azerbaijani gas (to Europe)”, he said, without specifying what volumes of gas are entailed. Azerbaijan has 2,200 billion cubic meters of gas at its disposal according to “modest estimates”, with sufficient reserves to export gas for another 100 years, according to President Aliev. The EU and Azerbaijan had signed a pre-agreement on gas in January this year (see EUROPE 10293). (E.H./transl.jl)