Aliyev talks about Azerbaijani gas potential

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has announced the opening of a new
major gas field, "Absheron", in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian
Sea, in a speech broadcast by the public television channel AzTV,
Trend reports.

The gas was discovered by the French company Total. The first
international contract on this field was signed in 1997, but was later
terminated due to its alleged unprofitability. In 2009 the French
company Total and the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan signed a
contract on the Absheron field.

"Our energy policy has one purpose - to protect the interests of the
Azerbaijani people and to deepen regional cooperation. In this
direction we have made very important steps. Today we have a
multi-vector energy and transport infrastructure. We have seven oil
and gas pipelines. Today, Azerbaijani oil and gas are delivered to the
European and world markets via various routes. Azerbaijan has
traditionally been known as an oil country. Today, Azerbaijan is more
significant to the world as a country exporting gas. We use these
capabilities efficiently," Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in
his speech.