Turkish FM Declares EU-Backed TANAP Pipeline Priority Project

The Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced that the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), part of the EU-backed Southern Gas Corridor, is the priority project of Turkey.

Cavusoglu said that Turkey is to review the proposal of Russian President Vladimir Putin for the construction of an alternative route through Turkey that is to bring gas to Greece and other European countries, following the announced cancellation of South Stream.

The Foreign Minister said that so far there was only a memorandum of understanding with Russia, which did not mean that TANAP was put in the background.

Cavusoglu met with his counterparts from Azerbaijan and Georgia in Kars on Wednesday, where the three foreign ministers discussed energy and transport projects, including the latest Russian proposal.

Turkey is still cautious towards Putin's proposal as it might increase the country's dependency on Russian gas.

TANAP is expected to transport natural gas from the Shah Deniz gas field in Azerbaijan through Georgia and Turkey, to the Greek border, where it will connect to the Southern Gas Corridor.

Cavusoglu expressed the importance of TANAP for both Georgia and Europe, pointing that the natural gas pipes have already been ordered and the project will be completed.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and his Georgian counterpart Tamar Beruchashvili also expressed their support for TANAP and its importance for the region and Europe.

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