The presidents of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Romania are going to meet in Baku in September as part of the three countries’ joint natural gas supply project AGRI, Sofia News Agency’s Novinite website reported Friday.
The three heads of state will come together in Baku on Sept. 14, to discuss the progress of gas transportation project Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania Interconnector, AGRI.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Energy of Azerbaijan, the purpose of the meeting is to support the project, reported the Azerbaijan Business Center. During the summit the three countries’ leaders are expected to sign a so called “Baku Declaration,” throwing their full weight behind AGRI.
The Baku Declaration will be drafted at an experts’ meeting on Sept. 6, and will be finalized on Sept. 13 by the relevant ministers of Romania, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.
The high-profile nature of the Baku summit will be reinforced by the expected attendance of European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU Commissioner for Energy Guenter Oettinger.
The Memorandum on Understanding between the governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Romania on cooperation for the supply and transit of liquefied natural gas from Azerbaijan to Romania was signed in Bucharest on April 13.
Terminals for liquefied natural gas will be set up in Romania’s Constanta and Georgia’s Kulevi on the Black Sea within the framework of AGRI Project.
Natural gas from Azerbaijan will be transported to the Black Sea coast for compression at special terminals, and will then be shipped by tankers to the Constanta port terminal. From there, it will be consumed in Romania or transported to other European countries.
The Azerbaijan Business Center reports that two pipelines from Constanta – one to Bulgaria, and another one to Hungary – are expected to be built in order to provide for the further transit of the natural gas delivered to Romania.
The launch of the AGRI project has demonstrated how the Bulgarian government is lagging behind Romania, as Bulgaria has also been involved in talks with Azerbaijan and Georgia for the transit of compressed or liquefied natural gas.
The Director of Bulgartransgaz, a subsidiary of the Bulgarian state company Bulgargaz, Ivan Drenchovski, has announced after a meeting of a Bulgarian-Azerbaijani government working group that Bulgaria is going to develop two gas supply routes from the energy-rich Caucasus nation to its territory – a land route via Turkey, and a Black Sea route similar to the AGRI project.
Romania, however, has already taken the lead in the latter, and it is unclear whether Bulgaria might still go ahead with deal with Georgia and Azerbaijan for liquefied natural gas terminals in the Black Sea if the AGRI project becomes operational and can supply it with Azerbaijani gas via Romania.
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania set for natural gas summit
The presidents of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Romania are going to meet in Baku in September as part of the three countries’ joint natural gas supply project AGRI, Sofia News Agency’s Novinite website reported Friday.
The three heads of state will come together in Baku on Sept. 14, to discuss the progress of gas transportation project Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania Interconnector, AGRI.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Energy of Azerbaijan, the purpose of the meeting is to support the project, reported the Azerbaijan Business Center. During the summit the three countries’ leaders are expected to sign a so called “Baku Declaration,” throwing their full weight behind AGRI.
The Baku Declaration will be drafted at an experts’ meeting on Sept. 6, and will be finalized on Sept. 13 by the relevant ministers of Romania, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.
The high-profile nature of the Baku summit will be reinforced by the expected attendance of European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU Commissioner for Energy Guenter Oettinger.
The Memorandum on Understanding between the governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Romania on cooperation for the supply and transit of liquefied natural gas from Azerbaijan to Romania was signed in Bucharest on April 13.
Terminals for liquefied natural gas will be set up in Romania’s Constanta and Georgia’s Kulevi on the Black Sea within the framework of AGRI Project.
Natural gas from Azerbaijan will be transported to the Black Sea coast for compression at special terminals, and will then be shipped by tankers to the Constanta port terminal. From there, it will be consumed in Romania or transported to other European countries.
The Azerbaijan Business Center reports that two pipelines from Constanta – one to Bulgaria, and another one to Hungary – are expected to be built in order to provide for the further transit of the natural gas delivered to Romania.
The launch of the AGRI project has demonstrated how the Bulgarian government is lagging behind Romania, as Bulgaria has also been involved in talks with Azerbaijan and Georgia for the transit of compressed or liquefied natural gas.
The Director of Bulgartransgaz, a subsidiary of the Bulgarian state company Bulgargaz, Ivan Drenchovski, has announced after a meeting of a Bulgarian-Azerbaijani government working group that Bulgaria is going to develop two gas supply routes from the energy-rich Caucasus nation to its territory – a land route via Turkey, and a Black Sea route similar to the AGRI project.
Romania, however, has already taken the lead in the latter, and it is unclear whether Bulgaria might still go ahead with deal with Georgia and Azerbaijan for liquefied natural gas terminals in the Black Sea if the AGRI project becomes operational and can supply it with Azerbaijani gas via Romania.
