EC hails gas corridor project for its energy security

"The European Commission highly values the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) project," the Azerbaijani media quoted the EC Vice-President for Energy Union Marosh Shevchovich as saying here Thursday.

He made the remarks while addressing the Third Ministerial Meeting of the SGC Advisory Council, which opened here Thursday.

He said Europe will make every effort to promote the implementation of the SGC project.

Calling the SGC "an important element of the European energy security," he said that many European countries, especially Italy and the Balkan countries, will benefit from it.

Speaking on the same occasion, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that the Trans-Anatolian pipeline marked the "turning point" for the SGC project.

The head of the state outlined the importance of regional cooperation under the SGC project, adding that it is inadmissible to delay its implementation.

"Some may allege environmental problems, but environmental regulations are fully respected within the framework of the project. I'm confident of a positive result," he said.

Representatives of the European Commission, energy ministers of Georgia, Turkey, Albania, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Croatia, Italy and Greece, and heads of international financial institutions attended the meeting.

The ambitious SGC, one of the European Union's priority energy projects, is assessed as a strategically important initiative that will help Europe to consolidate its energy security.

The project envisages the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region to Europe via Georgia and Turkey. The gas will be exported through expansion of the South Caucasus Pipeline(SCP) and the construction of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline(TANAP) and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).

Aliyev said the TANAP, SCP and TAP are 65 percent, 80 percent and 35 percent complete, respectively. Endi