Statement reads:

"Azerbaijan welcomes announcement by the Shah Deniz consortium to select the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) to transport Azerbaijani natural gas from the Trans-Anatolian pipeline (TANAP) into Europe.

Azerbaijan has long advocated for diverse and competitive markets to ensure energy security in Europe and the region, and this decision is an important step toward achieving that goal.

Azerbaijan is pleased that its natural gas will have a new route to European markets as the Southern Gas Corridor is realized. As project implementation begins, we will continue to work with our international partners, particularly the United States, to promote greater regional integration and achieve our shared strategic goals.

Once these critical initial steps are taken, market development, additional gas and infrastructure often follow. Over time, the ability of the Southern Corridor to bring new sources of supply to European markets is likely to extend beyond the immediate areas TAP will transit.

With the selection of TAP, we hope that the vision for future phases of the Southern Corridor can now be reached more rapidly. Azerbaijan`s gas production capability is expected to increase dramatically in the future, and we anticipate that the TAP pipeline will play a key role in European market diversity and energy security.

President of State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) Rovnag Abdullayev voiced support for Shah Deniz consortium`s plans to work with European interconnector projects to deliver gas to multiple countries across Southeast Europe. "Beyond Shah Deniz, we are confident that Azerbaijan`s gas exports will increase dramatically as fields like ACG Deep, Absheron, Umid and Shafag-Asiman are developed, and we see the pipeline route towards Austria as a natural market for this gas. The development planning of both pipeline routes lays the foundation for future growth and we appreciate the support of the European Commission throughout this process," Abdullayev said`.
heraldonline

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