Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 2
By Elmira Tariverdiyeva - Trend:
The Energy Union Strategy identifies the Southern Gas Corridor as a key project for diversifying the EU's external sources of energy, Arias Cañete, the member of the European Commission, said.
Cañete's statement was published on the website of the European Commission.
Cañete's statement was a response to the request of the MEP from Poland Anna Elżbieta Fotyga on Azerbaijan's role in ensuring the EU energy security and the impact of Brussels-Baku cool relations on this process.
In 2013 the Shah Deniz Consortium concluded the Final Investment Decision and several gas sales agreements with European companies were signed in order to supply gas from Azerbaijan to the European markets, the statement said.
Significant progress is being achieved in developing the corridor, with gas expected to flow from 2019/2020.
"The European Commission is also endeavoring to expand the Southern Gas Corridor to access the vast gas resources of the Central Asian countries," the statement said. "To this end, a negotiation process with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan is ongoing in accordance with the negotiating directive granted to the Commission by the Council in 2011. The signature of the Declaration on energy cooperation between Turkmenistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan and the European Commission on May 1, 2015 and the subsequent establishment of the Working Group is also important for enhancing our energy relations with Azerbaijan."
The European Commission remains committed in its support to the territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of all its partners and is closely monitoring related developments in its eastern neighborhood, the statement said.
The European Commission also continues to pursue its efforts to enhance stability, energy security and economic development in the EU's neighborhood through bilateral and multilateral initiatives like the European Neighborhood Policy and the Eastern Partnership, the statement said.