- You will attend the first meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council. What is the aim of this meeting and what do expect from this meeting?

 

- The aim of the Advisory Council is to steer the process on political level with the aim to have the Southern Gas Corridor operational by 2019/2020. Setting up an Advisory Council is a joined initiative between the European Commission and Azerbaijan, agreed on by Azeri President Aliyev and myself during my visit to Baku in November 2014. Tomorrow I will attend the first founding meeting of the Advisory Council on the Southern Gas Corridor. Ministers from transit countries such as Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Albania and Bulgaria will attend as well as representatives from the pipeline operators TAP and TANAP.

 

- What does Azerbaijan mean for the EU?

 

- Azerbaijan is a very important partner for the European Union. Azerbaijan is today one of the EU's major and most reliable energy partners, and this contributes to our mutual economy and energy security. We have a strategic partnership on energy which is the backbone of our relationship, and the EU remains Azerbaijan's main trading partner with bilateral trade flows worth € 17.9 billion in 2013 - i.e. more than 42% of Azeri trade. 50% of your exports go to the European Union, and 30% of your imports come from the EU. At the centre of our strategic energy partnership is Southern Gas Corridor. This is a project that can encourage greater economic cooperation, improve energy security and create over 30000 jobs in all countries along the Corridor. Our objective remains that the entire infrastructure project along the corridor will be operational in time by 2019/2020. This is as important for European energy security as it is for the future economic development of Azerbaijan.

 

- Does the oil price crisis have an impact on the European energy market? Azerbaijan and the EU are planning to implement some huge energy projects. Will the falling oil prices and the financial crisis delay the implementation of these projects?

 

- We cannot speculate about the future oil price. The EU's energy policy and the creation of a true Energy Union are not subject to price volatility. On the contrary, the money which is saved on oil imports and at the gas pump should be channeled for intelligent, forward-looking investments in energy efficiency, renewables, innovation and modern energy infrastructure and installations, key objectives of the Energy Union.

 

- What is the next step on the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor?

 

- The major milestone on the Southern Gas Corridor was made on 17 December 2013 when the Shah Deniz 2 Final Investment Decision was signed in Baku in the presence of the European Commission. Progress on the implementation of the project has been good, with total 10 billion US-Dollars' worth of contracts signed in the past year - more than 20% of total investments. The Shah Deniz 2 field development has entered the early construction phase and contracts have already been awarded for the development of offshore platforms, subsea pipelines and onshore terminals. The next step for the development of the Southern Gas Corridor is the timely completion of the infrastructure connecting the Caspian basin with Europe. In this respect, the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) along will the expanded South Caucasus pipeline should bring Azerbaijani gas to the European markets by 2019/2020. In line with the European Energy Security Strategy, the Southern Gas Corridor remains a key for the common objective of diversification of sources and suppliers. Initially, approximately 10 billion cubic meters of gas will flow along this route when it opens in 2019/2020. Given the potential supplies from the Caspian Region, the Middle East, and the East Mediterranean however, the EU aims to increase this volume long-term. The Southern Gas Corridor has the potential to meet up to 20% of the EU’s gas needs in the future. At the same time, the EU is developing gas interconnections in the Central and South East Europe in order to better connect the Southern Gas Corridor with the European consumers. Moreover, the talks are still on-going between the European Commission, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan on the construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline that would increase the gas volumes transported and the overall importance of the Southern Gas Corridor for the EU's diversification purposes.

 

- After the sanctions, Russia decided to cooperate with Turkey in the energy area. What can you say about these changes?

 

- It is true that Russia cancelled South Stream. European Commission's services will analyze Gazprom's plan with the regard to its economic viability as well as regulatory and legal feasibility/consequences before taking a final position. In any case the European Commission expects that obligations arising from existing gas contracts are met. The European Commission calls on Gazprom to stay engaged with the EU at early stage and explore all supply options in the South East region. Security of energy supply and gas co-operation in South East Europe and Ukraine are of paramount priority for the European Commission. With regard to Turkey, I have no reason to question the reliability of Turkey when it comes to our energy partnership. And I will meet with the Turkish Energy Minister in the margin of the founding meeting of the Advisory Council on 12 February. With regard to the accession talks with Turkey, the Commission considers that energy policy is a key issue in our relations with Turkey and the wider region and believes that Turkey is sufficiently prepared to start negotiations under chapter 15-energy. To this end, the Commission has made a proposal to the Council in 2007 to open this chapter, which until now could not rally the required unanimity among the Member States. The Commission is discussing this issue with Member States on a regular basis, stressing the European interest in making progress.

 

- What are the EU's next plans on energy, especially in cooperation with Azerbaijan?

 

- At the end of this month, the European Commission will present in a greater detail plans for building an Energy Union. One of the main dimensions of the Energy Union concerns the security of supply based on solidarity and trust and therefore the European Union will continue its efforts to further diversify the supply routes and sources. Azerbaijan can play a key role in meeting these goals, notably as the contributor to and the ''enabler'' of the Southern Gas Corridor. I would like to also add that our engagement with Azerbaijan is not limited to the Southern Gas Corridor and the bilateral cooperation can move forward in other areas as development of the renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, and technical assistance, legal approximation, as stipulated in the Memorandum of Understanding on strategic partnership in the energy field signed by President Barroso and President Aliyev back in 2006.