Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 11
By Azad Hasanli - Trend:
Today the European Union is being tested for strength, and one of such tests for the EU is the Azerbaijani gas.
The gas supply project that is being implemented by Azerbaijan and its partners is vitally important for Europe. All the work on the territory of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey goes according to schedule and will be completed in time. However, it depends only on Brussels how ready the EU will be to receive this gas.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that the barriers, sometimes artificially created, for the TAP project implementation, will be eventually eliminated and the European countries, the countries involved in this project, the European Union will resolve these questions themselves.
"In any case, Azerbaijan and Turkey will timely fulfill their duties, all the duties related with implementation of the TANAP project [...] That's the essence of our work, not idle talk, but the work designed for specific results. We have never given populist promises, we did what we talked specifically about," the president said.
These words contain simple meaning: if Europe needs gas, Brussels needs to develop a common approach to this project. What for? It is needed to be done so that such countries as Greece would not try to change the conditions of previously concluded international agreements with the change of government.
The fact that Europe has short memory has been repeatedly proven by history. However, it is surprising how short it is. Why Europe takes the Azerbaijani gas for granted? Has it forgotten what it means to freeze in winter, when Russia cuts off the gas supply? Or has Europe forgotten how many times the EU officials visited Azerbaijan in order to ask for gas supplies?
In any case, today, the actions of Greece and some other EU members actually test the strength of the European Union itself and the possibilities of its management.
The fact of how Brussels will be able to cope with the situation emerged, will show whether there is a future for united Europe, or other states will make decision to leave the euro zone sooner or later. Much will depend on the fact how the leadership of Europe will behave with the alternative Azerbaijani gas supply project.
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Azad Hasanli is Trend Agency's staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AzadHasanli
