Azerbaijani president declares support to South Gas Corridor
BAKU/BRUSSELS. June 23 (Interfax) - Azerbaijan supports the South Gas Corridor project to carry gas to Europe, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev told a Wednesday press briefing in Brussels, after negotiations with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
"At the same time, this [project] provides European customers with a reliable alternative of energy supplies," he said.
The president said he hoped for ending the negotiations with prospective partners before the end of this year.
"We have vast gas reserves, which are sufficient for our clients and us for more than 100 years," he said. Aliyev noted that energy issues were a primary item of the negotiations with Barroso.
Meanwhile, Barroso said that the European Commission had drafted preliminary documents for signing in September 2011.
He also said they had discussed cooperation within the Eastern Partnership program and the European Neighborhood Policy, as well as the development of democracy in Azerbaijan.
The time has come to settle the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, which impedes the development of the entire region, Barroso said.