Brussels, 04/11/2008 (Agence Europe) - In an attempt to give momentum to the Nabucco gas pipeline project, which aims to send gas from Central Asian countries to the EU by by-passing Russia, the Commissioner for energy, Andris Piebalgs, will make a visit to Turkey on Wednesday 5 November. This visit aims to unblock negotiations with Ankara on the energy transit costs. On 7 November, the Commissioner will then go to Azerbaijan, a key energy supplier. In Ankara, Mr Piebalgs will have discussions with the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and his energy minister, Mehmet Hilmi Guler, about a transit energy clause demanded by Turkey but which is being refused by the EU. The Turkish authorities want Nabucco operators to allow Turkey to purchase a certain percentage of gas being transited through its territory at a delivery price set at the end of the pipeline in Austria, which is cheaper than in Turkey. The European Commission hopes to obtain an agreement on this question by the end of the year and avoid setting such a precedent. In Baku, Mr Piebalgs will appeal to the Azeri president Ilham Aliyev, that in a context of intense international competition with Russian groups, Azerbaijan should sell its gas to a European consortium. As well as Azeri gas, and while awaiting a resolution of the Iranian question, the Nabucco project will have to find other supply outlets. Piebalgs is planning on a trip to Turkmenistan, where reserves may be higher than previously thought. (E.H./trans/rh)