Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 14 / Trend E.Ismayilov /
Azerbaijani Industry and Energy Minister Natig Aliyev and European Commissioner for Energy Günther Oettinger have today signed a letter of intent, which involves the creation of a joint working group on speeding up work in connection with the Southern Gas Corridor project, Ministry Spokesman Azer Mensimli said on Friday.
The working group will solve all issues arising within the project implementation and every two months will provide information to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso.
During the signing ceremony, Natig Aliyev said Barroso's Azerbaijan visit is a very important moment in all respects. He noted that "Joint Declaration on the Southern Gas Corridor" signed by Presidents Aliyev and Barroso is of great importance.
"Yesterday, President Aliyev and President Barroso gave task us. Mr. Oettinger and I were tasked to solve in a short time all the issues arising from the joint declaration. Today we have signed a memorandum of understanding and agreed on how we will implement a joint declaration. This protocol is our roadmap," he said. "It was decided to establish a joint working group and ensure the participation of specialists and experts from both the Commissariat of the European Union and Azerbaijan. This process will involve foreign companies and interested individuals. Soon will be clarified the problems arising in the establishment of the Southern Corridor from the legal, political, commercial, technical and other points of view. Every two months, reports and information will be presented to President Ilham Aliyev and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso."
Aliyev said the main purpose of Barroso's visit to Azerbaijan is solving the energy issue.
"An important part of this is the creation and development of the Southern Corridor. The EU appreciated stocks, oil and gas industries of Azerbaijan and its role as the country's gas exporter to achieve this goal. The sides signed the 'Joint Declaration on the Southern Gas Corridor'. The main goal of this document is the union efforts of both sides in the creation of the corridor and work together," Aliyev said.
Oettinger said a lot of work was done for the development of the energy sector of Azerbaijan.
"The EU attaches great importance and gives preference to cooperation with Azerbaijan," Oettinger said. The signed declaration and a memorandum of understanding will give impetus to further development of relations.
The Southern Corridor is a priority EU energy project diversifying energy supply routes and sources and increasing EU energy security. The Southern Corridor includes the Nabucco gas pipeline, Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), White Stream, and ITGI (Turkey-Greece-Italy pipeline).