Azerbaijan, Baku, April 13 /Trend Capital, A.Badalova/

The Turkish government desires to launch the Nabucco gas pipeline project which envisages transporting gas from Azerbaijan and Central Asia to the European markets as soon as possible, Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler said, TurkishPress.com reported.

Turkey has sent a letter to the European Union (EU) countries which are participants of the Nabucco gas pipeline project and is waiting for their response at the moment.

"If they answer by late April, we will sign an agreement by June," Guler said. "We expect that the EU will send their agreement to us."

Nabucco shareholders are the Austrian OMV, Hungarian MOL, Bulgarian Bulgargaz, Romanian Transgaz, Turkish Botas and German RWE with 16.7 percent each

The minister said the intergovernmental agreement, as well as leading governmental agreement were sent to the EU countries. "However, we are again and again discussing details on which the agreement was reached," Guler said. "To avoid all of these, I have sent a letter."

Construction of the pipeline is expected to begin in 2011 and first deliveries - in 2014. Its maximum capacity will be 31 billion cubic meters per year.

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