Brussels, 01/12/2014 (Agence Europe) - The first visit by new Energy Union Commissioner Maros Sefcovic to the Caspian Region, from 26 to 28 November, allowed him to make contact at the very highest political level with Azerbaijan, a key country for the Southern Gas Corridor project.
Visiting Baku, where he met Azeri President Ilham Aliyev on 28 November, Sefcovic restated the importance the EU attaches to close energy cooperation with Azerbaijan, cooperation which he said he wants to take further. The commissioner's visit did nothing to harm the development of the Southern Gas Corridor project, his decision to travel so soon to Baku being seen by Aliyev as a “good sign” for the future of bilateral negotiations. Welcoming the increased cooperation since a memorandum of understanding on the EU-Azerbaijan strategic partnership in energy was signed in 2006, Aliyev was keen to see the “active and dynamic” pursuit of these relations, particularly in developing the southern gas corridor to carry gas from Central Asia to the European market.
Though no official comment came through the Commission, Sefcovic set out his views on the future of the bilateral cooperation in energy in his interviews with the local media. “The EU applauds the current cooperation and the progress in implementing the Southern Gas Corridor since the Final Investment Decision on the Shah Deniz II field was taken last December. For the future, the EU wants to broaden and deepen its relationship with Azerbaijan even further. We want to negotiate a new bilateral agreement which is both strategic and concrete in scope”, he is quoted by the APA agency as saying. “The EU will also accelerate efforts to develop and open South-Eastern European markets for gas from Azerbaijan and other countries in the Caspian region. The interest of Azerbaijan to ensure the connectivity of the Southern Gas Corridor to the countries in South-East Europe coincides with Europe's interests in the context of its energy security. Obviously, realising the Southern Gas Corridor in time requires that all parties pledge their commitments to achieve the common goal”, he added.
In another interview, Sefcovic said he was ready, on behalf of the EU, to continue talks with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan on the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline, opened in September 2011 under a mandate given by the Council. Construction of this pipeline linking the two countries bordering the Caspian Sea to carry gas from Central Asia to Europe “is seen by the EU as a mutually beneficial project that serves the strategic and commercial interest of all partners”, said Sefcovic. “There is a strong commitment from both Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to move forward towards the realisation of the project. The EU is, of course, interested to receive the additional volumes that the Trans-Caspian pipeline could bring, and will also continue to work constructively to make this happen in cooperation with its partners”, he continued, stating that the environmental scoping study for the project had recently been completed. (EH)