On the eve of the 3rd Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council Meeting to be held In Baku on February 23, Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-President of the European Commission, in charge of Energy Union, gave an exclusive interview to " Eurasia Diary".

The EU top official answered questions regarding EU-Azerbaijan energy cooperation, his expectations from the Advisory Council Meeting, prospects for Southern Gas Corridor project and other urgent issues.

Eurasia Diary: The 3^rd Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council Meeting will be held on February 23 in Azerbaijan.  As one of the main participants of this meeting, how do you evaluate this  and You are expected to participate. How do you evaluate the effectiveness of this meeting? What do you expect from that meeting?

Maroš Šefčovič: A secure supply of energy, based on solidarity and trust, is one of the main pillars of the Energy Union. This trust needs to be built and nurtured between EU member states as much as between the EU and its international partners. Therefore I am very glad to see a huge interest in continuing the Advisory Council meetings, which will be opened also this year by President Aliyev. I am looking forward to meet with energy ministers of the project member countries as well as representatives of other interested countries, as well as the SGC consortia  to evaluate construction progress and discuss future energy cooperation plans.

Our goal is to deepen the long term strategic relationship among the stakeholder countries of the Southern Gas Corridor and between suppliers, transporters and consumers of energy, particularly in securing sustainable supply from Azerbaijan to EU market. For all concerned parties it is important to ensure that the Southern Gas Corridor is completed in a timely manner.

In Baku, we will take stock of the most recent developments relating to SGC and address remaining financing, technical and legal issues specific to every country involved country, so that first gas will arrive in Europe in 2020. 

Eurasia Diary: It is expected that during the meeting several issues about energy projects and diversification of energy routes  will be touched. What kind of aspects are going to be touched in this particular direction?

Maroš Šefčovič: The SGC is a good demonstration that the Energy Union does not stop at EU borders. It is an outward looking project which involves our partners.  We want to cooperate closely with non-EU countries in the view of diversifying our gas supplies and providing our partners with a reliable and stable export market. 

After all, energy diversification is at the cornerstone of the European Energy Security Strategy. It provides us with means of enhancing our competitiveness and thereby creating better services, lowering energy prices and producing new jobs. A more interconnected Europe is our vital interest and new suppliers such as from Azerbaijan should be a part of this picture.

In addition to financing questions, we will also discuss linked issues such as the Greece-Bulgaria interconnector and the Ionian Adriatic Pipeline.

Eurasia Diary: In your opinion, how will this new  gas pipeline affect  economic and geopolitical relations between the states in the region?

Maroš Šefčovič: Southern Gas corridor is not just a very useful form to promote pragmatic and cost-effective infrastructure solutions in Europe. It is also a way how to transform centralised markets to mixed and diverse energy markets with coherent regional strategy.  After the completion of the pipeline the Caspian Sea will be significantly closer to the European market and the EU has interest in scaling-up the Southern Gas Corridor swiftly. I believe this gas pipeline will strengthen not only energy security in the region, but also solidarity and support among neighbouring countries.

Eurasia Diary:  Is it possible to say now when the project will be finished and when the first gas from the Caspian region will  be delivered  to Europe?

Maroš Šefčovič: Let me first recall that for years bringing Caspian gas to European markets was merely a subject for discussions and debate. Today it is a reality with contracts in place for billions USD and construction work ongoing in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Albania and Italy – despite the many challenges we have seen. Construction of a 45 billion dollar project of such wide connotations inherently involves challenges. So far, the progress achieved sends a message of strong problem-solving capacities that we want to build upon during the third meeting of the Advisory Council.

I am convinced that thanks to a cooperative stakeholder approach, the Southern Gas Corridor can be realised on time and that gas from Azerbaijan can flow to Europe by 2020. Moreover, once the route and the overall framework are tested, it will be easier to expand the Southern Gas Corridor beyond the initial volumes of 10 billion cubic meters a year.

Interview by Ayaz Mirzayev