Azerbaijan, Baku, 24 May / Trend E. Ismailov /
Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan have the right to lay the Trans-Caspian pipeline and the U.S. in general, agrees with it, U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar said in Baku during the conference 'Maritime and Energy Law in Azerbaijan: international and national perspectives'.
"The U.S. position is that if the two countries reach an agreement there would be no obstacles to the laying of the pipeline," Morningstar said.
However, each country must determine for itself the political implications of each attempted step in this direction, he said.
The U.S. Ambassador also noted that the pipeline should be safe for the environment.
According to Morningstar, the compromise is necessary with regards to the issue of delimitation of the Caspian Sea.
Proceeding on the subject of compromise, the Ambassador said some sanctions could have been imposed with regards to the Shah Deniz field due to a 10 per cent stake of the Iranian Company NICO in the project, meaning a portion of gas belongs to Iran. Sanctions could have been imposed over cooperation with the Iranian oil and Gas Company. However, the U.S. Congress considered the compromise more expedient, the Ambassador said.