Baku – APA. The presidents of Hungary, Austria, Romania and Bulgaria have urged Azerbaijan to support the proposed Nabucco West natural gas pipeline over a rival project, APA reports quoting the European media.
Austrian President Heinz Fischer told reporters at a Central European summit in Slovakia Thursday he and his counterparts had sent a letter to Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev touting their preference for Nabucco West over the rival Trans-Adriatic pipeline.
A decision by the consortium controlling the Caspian Sea gas fields on which pipeline would transport the gas from Azerbaijan to Europe is expected by the end of the month.
The Nabucco proposal would pass through Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria on its way from the Turkish border to a terminus in Austria. The TAP project, meanwhile, would go through Greece and Albania before crossing under the Adriatic Sea to Italy.
Fisher, addressing reporters at the wrap-up of the Bratislava summit, said the Nabucco West option is better because it would provide more energy diversification for Central and Eastern Europe, which is all but totally dependent on Russian natural gas supplies. "We believe in diversification. There should be no monopoly or near-monopoly status," Fisher said.
The Austrian leader said the letter backing Nabucco West signed by himself and counterparts Traian Basescu of Romania, Janos Ader of Hungary and Rosen Plevneliev of Bulgaria was also supported by Turkey.
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