Ilham Aliyev: Southern Gas Corridor - Strategic Route

Azerbaijan considers the Southern Corridor as a strategic route that will allow the country to become a major exporter of gas to Europe. This was stated by President Ilham Aliyev in Vienna at a joint press conference with his Austrian counterpart.

 "We made a big step towards the realization of the Southern Gas Corridor, through an agreement with Turkey on the project TANAP. This will greatly facilitate the implementation of the project. We are ready to take on the major technical and financial obligations. We make a concrete contribution to the implementation of the strategic route, as a result, Azerbaijan has become an important exporter of gas to Europe," said Aliyev.

However, he noted that the final decision on the Southern Gas Corridor will be made in the near future by a consortium of "Shah Deniz".

To the question, how the realization of the project "South Stream" can affect Nabucco, Aliyev said that Azerbaijan is not worried about competition. "I think that fair competition is a fundamental condition for success. It is also important to consumers as they choose. Therefore, we do not care. But when it comes to diversification, we should know that this is not the diversification of routes and sources ".-06D-