Baku, Azerbaijan, September 29 / Trend , V.Zhavoronkova /
The question of limiting Iran's access to the Nabucco gas project is connected with distrust of the community in this country's fulfillment of its obligations, the U.S. expert Robert Cutler said.
The problem of distrust in partnership with Iran is inside the country itself, he said.
"As I heard from the primary sources, one of the main problems in Iran is that all questions in this country are resolved by the clergy, following the example of the Bolsheviks during the communist regime," said a Senior Research Fellow at Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies at Carleton University.
According to him, managers and professionals in Iran can not make decisions without the participation of the clergy.
"The Iranian officials discussing issues of energy do not have power. Their words do not coincide with the final decisions made in the country. For this reason, the country can not succeed, it is unreliable in the issue of supplying gas for Nabucco," Cutler, who is on visit to Baku, said to a press briefing at the TREND press center.
According to the Western expert on the Eurasian energy, Iran also will not serve as a transit country for transportation of Turkmen gas to European markets.
"The route through Iran [to export Turkmen gas to Europe] is completely excluded," said Cutler.
He said that there is a possibility of Turkmen gas supplies to the EU through Russia, but the position of Turkmenistan prevents, who wishes to diversify its gas supplies and "get rid of the dependence of transporting fuel through Russia."
[To export Turkmen gas to Europe] can be considered the construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline, which, however, requires solving a number of issues between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan," said Cutler.
The Nabucco project worth 7.9 billion euro will deliver Azerbaijani and Central Asian gas to the EU. Nabucco shareholders are the Austrian OMV, Hungarian MOL, Bulgarian Bulgargaz, Romanian Transgaz, Turkish Botas and German RWE with 16.67 percent each. Construction of the pipeline is expected to begin in 2011 and the first supplies - in 2014. Its maximum capacity will be 31 billion cubic meters per year. An investment solution on the project will be made in the first quarter of 2010. The Nabucco Gas Pipeline International will invest 30 percent of the project on basis of its share. The remaining 70 percent will be provided by international institutions.
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