Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov. 16 / Trend, V. Zhavoronkova/
The Trans Caspian gas pipeline could increase the security of gas supplies to Europe, the Energy Department of the European Commission said.
"The Trans Caspian gas pipeline will help Europe to increase the security of its gas supplies," Marlene Holzner, a spokesperson of EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger, told Trend over a telephone from Brussels
The U.S. will support the construction of the Trans Caspian pipeline in case the EU, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan are able to negotiate the terms, in which the pipeline can be build, U.S. State Department Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy Richard Morningstar said at the press-conference in Baku on Tuesday.
However, he believes that it is impossible to say when this pipeline will be constructed because at first the sides should come to an agreement.
Holzner said negotiations on the construction of the pipeline among the sides [Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and European Union] have already started and now are progressing as foreseen.
"We are working in this direction and I hope this [negotiations] will come to a good conclusion and Trans Caspian pipeline will be built," Holzner added.
She believes the pipeline will open up new opportunities for Europe to get gas from Turkmenistan and suppliers other than those European countries have at the moment.
The Trans-Caspian route would become a part of the trans-national Southern Gas Corridor projects. Gas may be delivered for the Trans-Caspian project through the 1,000-km East-West gas pipeline which is under construction through the territory of Turkmenistan.
The South Corridor is a priority EU project diversifying energy supply routes and sources and increasing security. The Corridor includes the Nabucco gas pipeline and the TAP and ITGI (Turkey-Greece-Italy pipeline). Gas produced within the second phase of the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz Field is considered to be the main source for these projects.