Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov. 23 / Trend A.Badalova /
The decision to ratify the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline (TANAP) agreement by the Parliament of Azerbaijan agreement shows the concrete determination of the country to bring its gas to Europe, EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger said in a statement disseminated by the EU delegation in Baku.
"This pipeline will mean that gas is brought to Europe's border, to then freely circulate within the European Union. It is a pleasure to welcome Azerbaijan, and more especially SOCAR, to the European Union's energy market," Oettinger said.
This week the Azerbaijani Parliament ratified an agreement on the construction of a separate gas pipeline to transport gas to Turkey through its territory, as well as an agreement on TANAP between the governments of Azerbaijan and Turkey.
TANAP project envisages construction of the pipeline from the eastern border of Turkey to the country's western border to supply gas from Azerbaijani Shah Deniz gas field to Europe through Turkey. The initial capacity of the pipeline is expected to reach 16 billion cubic meters a year. About six billion cubic meters will be delivered to Turkey, and the rest - to Europe.
On June, 26 Azerbaijan and Turkey signed an intergovernmental agreement on TANAP implementation.
At present, a 20 per cent share in TANAP belongs to Turkish BOTAS, 80 per cent and the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR). Earlier SOCAR partners on the project of developing Shah Deniz field have voiced their preliminary intentions to acquire a stake in TANAP project. According to the preliminary data, the partners intend to distribute a 29 per cent share in TANAP as follows: Statoil and BP - 12 per cent, Total - five per cent.