Azerbaijan, Baku, 23 April / Trend / Azerbaijan does not exclude the fact that a part of its gas produced from the Shah Deniz field will enter the Greek market in 2008 via Turkey.
"At present the Azerbaijani gas has entered Turkey. This year it will enter the Greek market as well," Natik Aliyev, the Azerbaijani Minister of Industry and Energy, said on 23 April. He is participating in the 2nd Caspian Oil and Gas trade and transport conference organized by the British company Confidence Energy and the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy. The expected volumes of gas delivery to Greece are not publicized.
Christios Folias, the Greek Minister for Development, said, in March in Baku, that his country intends to purchase around 1bln cu m of gas from Azerbaijan a year.
" Greece also intends to act as a transit country for the transportation of Azerbaijani gas to European markets," Folias said in a meeting with Rovnag Abdullayev, the President of the State oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR).
According to Aliyev, if the Nabucco gas pipeline project is realized successfully, Azerbaijan is prepared to export part of its gas to Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Austria. Azerbaijan has other alternatives also, for instance gas export to Ukraine and Poland via the Black Sea ground, the minister said.
"At present the major question is the transportation of oil and gas, as well as oil and gas products from the Caspian region to Europe. There is large rivalry, particularly concerning the gas sector," the minister said.
Macro-integration of the Caspian into the world energy market as one of the most important oil and gas reservoirs of the 21st century, as well as analysis impact of export trends on economy and oil as and gas sector of the Caspian littoral countries, are on the agenda of the conference. The conference participants will also analyze energy markets of the Caspian littoral countries, trade in the region, transport infrastructure and transit and quality of oil products.
