Talks on gas transit through Turkey to end in Sept.

Talks between SOCAR and Turkey's Botas about the conditions of gas transportation through Turkey are to finish in September, Turkey’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan said on Wednesday, Contact.az reports.

As a result of the recent working visit of Turkey’s Prime Minister to Azerbaijan, Ankara and Azerbaijan have confirmed readiness to conclude negotiations on gas in the near future. Relevant structures have been given instructions, and "in September the issue will be solved," the diplomat said.

Currently SOCAR is having talks with foreign partners on the development of "Shakh-Deniz" field, and further gas exports. In particular, the talk is about the choice between the expansion of the Azeri section of Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline and construction of a new branch of the pipeline.

SOCAR is discussing the question of gas supplies to Europe with other pipeline consortiums too. In June the Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said that principle agreement on the export and transit of gas was obtained between Azerbaijan and Turkey.

"We have agreed about intergovernmental agreement in principle and in details. We have agreed on buy-and-sell issues. The contract for transit is a document on 130 pages. We need time to work on it. Some formal procedures should be done, and then will be a ceremony of signing agreements. The agreements open the way for the realization of such global projects such as Nabucco, and other gas pipelines," he
said.