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DEPAâ€™s president: We expect the increase of gas transportation from Azerbaijan to Greece in 2 years

04 June 2010 10:46 (UTC +04:00)

We are already importing Azeri gas through Turkey into Greece. And we are consuming about 0.7 bcm of Azeri gas right now in Greece. We hope that after the agreement between Azerbaijan and Turkey is concluded that arrangement would become a direct contract between DEPA and SOCAR. Because right now Greece has the Azeri according a contract that we have between DEPA and Botash, he said.

â€™Additionaly we want to import additional gas from Azerbaijan. Because of the current financial crisis in Greece the quantities for this-next year are not going to be very large, but two years from now because of the new Ä°nterconnector between Greece and Bulgaria should be operational, we expect that significant quantities can flow from Azerbaijan in to Greece and beyond Greece to Bulgaria and through other interconnectors that either existing or being built into Romania, Serbia and other countries of the region. So we believe, that the existing interconnector between Turkey and Greece and the interconnector that will built between Greece and Bulgaria, which just going to be ready in 2 years, will give the opportunity to Azerbaijan to export significant quantities of gas not only to Greece but also to all south Eastern European region. We hope on close cooperation regarding Shakh-Deniz-2 because also we have the capacity through ITGI to take Shakh-Deniz-2 gas into Italy and to Europe through the Italian peninsulaâ€™-he added.
Answering the question when DEPA is planning to sign the contract with SOCAR, Harris Sachinis signing of the contract will depend on the results of the negotiations between Azerbaijan and Turkey:
â€™We are in close coordination with SOCAR We are going to see that the result of the negotiations between Azerbaijan and Turkey and depending on that we are what is the right type of contract and agreement that we need to sign with SOCAR. This can be for the existing quantities and also for short-term quantities in the future and longterm quantities for Shakh Deniz-2 that will go through Italy into Europe.â€™