Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev sated that the countrys energy resources can gain not only regional, but also European and even world significance. He made a statement while addressing to the foreign Relations Council which commenced his first official visit to the United States.
"No matter how important the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil and gas pipelines might be, they have regional dimension," Aliyev underlined. Developing this idea on gas, the President underlined said that Azerbaijan initially regarded only Turkey and Georgia as it market, but did not account on Europe. Respectively, the country outlined its plans on production of this fuel.
"Now the EU representatives appeal us in connection with future cooperation on gas supply to Europe, Aliyev stressed. This is absolutely new issue, we have never seriously considered it. If there appears a necessity to process the issue, then altogether Azerbaijan, gas producing companies and the EU will have to do it jointly.
"Wed very happy to see the United States to join this process," the head of state added. Without Washingtons considerable support Azerbaijans plans on the development of the energy sector, which has become a base for booming development of the Azerbaijani economy, would be almost impossible.
Aliyev did not rule that the perspectives for the development of the energy sector from the Caspian not only in the western, but also eastern direction. "If the eats Caspian countries decided to join our infrastructure, we would certainly hail it, Aliyev underlined. It might give rise to completely new situation in the region. In general in the new conditions a project of world significance can appear in Azerbaijan.
Bakus base for cooperation with the Western leading oil and gas companies is welcomes in Washington, he noted..
Meanwhile, Steven Mann, the former US special envoy on Caspian energy diplomacy and US Ambassador in Ashgabad, told ITAR-TASS that the oil giants like Exxon and BP are involved in the production in Azerbaijan.
The least is the world second oil major after Exxon Mobil, which was established in 1998 as a result of merger of Amoco with BP, ITAR-TASS announced.