(Second version, first version published at 11:06)
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 29
By Ilkin Shafiyev, Azad Hasanli - Trend:
The Southern Gas Corridor project highlights the role of Azerbaijan as an international gas hub, the Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum Yury Sentyurin stated May 29 in Baku at the ceremony of launch of the first phase of the project.
"Azerbaijan has obtained the status of the international gas hub thanks to the wise and rational policy pursued by President Ilham Aliyev. Natural gas will play a key role in meeting our future energy needs. The Southern Gas Corridor, as one of the largest gas projects in the world, is aimed at ensuring gas supplies from the Caspian Sea to Europe. It involves extensive cooperation between the public and private sector, and today, 7 states and 11 independent companies are working together to complete this major project," said Sentyurin.
"The "Southern Gas Corridor" is designed to change the energy map of the entire region, delivering Caspian gas directly to European markets for the first time in history," he said.
The Secretary General noted that, the European Union needs further diversification of import opportunities to meet its future demands for energy.
"The financial and political commitment of Azerbaijan to the implementation of the project emphasizes the important role that the country plays and will continue to play in the direction of ensuring energy sustainability," the Secretary General said.