Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Nov. 16 / Trend , H.Hasanov /
If Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan agree on construction of Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline, no other country has veto power over that decision, Senior Adviser to the U.S. State Department's special envoy for Eurasian energy Daniel Stein said in his speech at the International Oil and Gas Conference in Ashgabat today.
The EU, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan are currently negotiating an agreement that []...would the basis for a Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline, he added.
"In this respect, I should state our view-if Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan agree on construction of such a pipeline, no other country has veto power over that decision," he said.
The Trans-Caspian route would become a part of trans-national projects of "the Southern Gas Corridor". Gas may be delivered for the Trans-Caspian project through the 1,000-km East-West gas pipeline which is under construction on the territory of Turkmenistan.
The South Corridor is a priority EU energy project diversifying energy supply routes and sources and increasing EU energy security. The Southern Corridor includes the Nabucco gas pipeline, TAP and ITGI (Turkey-Greece-Italy pipeline). The gas produced within the second phase of the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz Field is considered to be the main gas source for these projects.
Regarding additional gas supplies for the Southern Corridor, Mr. Stein said President Gurbangulu Berdimuhammedov has talked positively about providing gas to Europe as part of Turkmenistan's efforts to diversify its export routes.
He believes by expanding export routes, these countries can increase competition for their resources, demand a higher price, and create strong links to the global economy.
"The producer countries, including Turkmenistan, should be able to make their own independent choices regarding how they deal with energy resources," he noted
In line with this approach, Mr. Stein said, the Obama Administration has worked to support the establishment of a new pathway, the Southern Corridor, to bring natural gas to Europe through Turkey, from the Caspian and potentially other sources, including Iraq.
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Just last month, Turkey and Azerbaijan signed an agreement on transit of gas across Turkey to Europe, a significant step forward in realization of the Southern Corridor.