Kazakhstan, Astana, Nov. 23 / Trend K. Konyrova /
Caspian countries are to have the sovereign right to set up their transport and energy projects, Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov told media in Astana, commenting on the Trans-Caspian pipeline laying.
Azerbaijan as a transit country is open for cooperation and is ready to provide opportunities to transit hydrocarbons, he said.
Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov took part in the 30th meeting of the Ad Hoc Working group on the Convention on the Legal status of the Caspian Sea in Astana.
The Trans-Caspian gas pipeline is considered to be a part of the Southern Gas Corridor to deliver the energy resources of the Caspian basin to European markets. It involves laying 300 kilometres of pipeline through the seabed from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan.
Turkmenistan has the main raw materials so is an important player in the energy market of the Caspian region. The country ranks fourth on the natural gas reserves in the world after Russia, Iran and Qatar.
Russia and Iran are jointly standing against the construction of the gas pipeline through the Caspian Sea.
The Southern Gas Corridor is a priority EU energy project diversifying energy supply routes and sources and increasing security. It includes the Nabucco gas pipeline as well the TAP and ITGI (Turkey-Greece-Italy pipeline).