Details added (first version posted on 10:14)
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 4
By Seymur Aliyev - Trend:
The meeting held in Ashgabat last week and adoption of the decision on creating a joint working group between Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Turkey and EU is a great step forward, Azerbaijani Energy Minister Natig Aliyev told Trend May 4.
He added that the main result of that meeting was the adoption of the energy declaration. "It is a significant step forward."
Ashgabat hosted a meeting with participation of heads of oil and gas ministries of the three mentioned countries and EU representatives on May 1.
During that meeting, the sides signed a declaration on developing the cooperation in the energy sphere.
The document said that the sides support the creation of favorable conditions necessary for ensuring reliable, stable and long-term international energy cooperation taking into account the interests of producers, transit countries and consumers of energy resources.
The sides also recognized the importance of the equal and mutually beneficial cooperation in ensuring the supply of natural gas from Turkmenistan to Europe.
The EU has started to actively lobbying for the project for construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan.
Southern Gas Corridor, which includes the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline project as well, remains priority for Brussels. The Trans-Caspian gas pipeline could be a part of TANAP project which is being implemented by Azerbaijan and Turkey.