Baku, Azerbaijan, June 16
By Elena Kosolapova – Trend:
Providing access to energy resources, their access to the market and delivery to consumers is a part of US foreign policy, Matthew Bryza, former deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs and former US ambassador to Azerbaijan, told reporters in Baku June 16.
Meanwhile, according to Bryza, the US does not set a task of controlling energy resources, and even US energy companies are not controlled by the government.
He added that as part of this strategy, the US supported the implementation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline projects, and is currently supporting the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) project.
The Southern Gas Corridor envisages the transportation of gas from the Caspian Sea region to the European countries through Georgia and Turkey.
At the initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor project. Other sources can also connect to this project at a later stage.
As part of the Stage 2 of the Shah Deniz development, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).