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Russia forced Europe to realize there is no alternative to Azerbaijani gas

Oil&Gas Materials 4 February 2015 22:00 (UTC +04:00)
Amid the aggravated confrontation between various real and virtual projects for gas delivery to Europe from south, and in connection with the actions of such countries as Greece, which are difficult to understand, the EU has finally directly supported the Southern Gas Corridor.
Russia forced Europe to realize there is no alternative to Azerbaijani gas

Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 4
By Seymur Aliyev - Trend:

Amid the aggravated confrontation between various real and virtual projects for gas delivery to Europe from south, and in connection with the actions of such countries as Greece, which are difficult to understand, the EU has finally directly supported the Southern Gas Corridor.

This route, which envisages the real delivery of Azerbaijan's gas to Europe, was defined as a priority in the EU's efforts to diversify our sources and routes of energy supply, the EU Commissioner for Energy and Climate Action Miguel Arias Canete said.

"We will double our efforts to diversify energy supplies, their sources and routes. The recent story of the South Stream should become a lesson and an opportunity for us. From now on we will focus attention on the projects that will allow us to diversify supplies," Canete said.

Despite the importance of this statement, it seems a bit late. It turns out that Europe has only now drawn a lesson from Russian suppliers.

That is, previously there were no problems?

Will now Brussels focus on the projects for diversification of supplies? I wonder which projects it means, while currently the only alternative source is the Southern Gas Corridor and Azerbaijani gas.

It is obvious that with its statements Europe wants to calm the partners in the Southern Gas Corridor project (majority of them are western companies) regarding the possibility of construction of the Turkish Stream and the statements of the Greek government about the insufficiency of this country's benefits from the Trans-Adriatic gas pipeline (TAP).

Naturally, Brussels understands that it is vital for the EU to supply South Europe with alternative gas at least for reducing the dependence of this region's countries from Russia.

Nevertheless, the statements about focusing on the projects for diversification of supplies are strange, since the partners in the Southern Gas Corridor project have already agreed on the documents, worked out projects, signed contracts on gas purchasing, have agreed on financing and started the construction. Moreover, the time of supplying the gas has already been determined.

Apparently, Brussels is unaware that Europe will get this gas in late 2019.

Edited by CN

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Seymur Aliyev is the head of Trend Agency's Russian News Service

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