NEW YORK (AA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said, "We will form a peaceful region from the Caucasians to the Balkans, from the Caspian to the Mediterranean, as well as a secure energy region" referring to the Southern Gas Corridor.
Speaking at a forum organized by the Caspian Strategy Institute, Davutoglu said Europe needs security in terms of energy and the Southern Gas Corridor Project is the best alternative.
"This project will affect the relations between producers and consumers in the global energy market and all the countires involved in this project will benefit from it," he said. "The Southern Gas Corridor Project is not only an energy corridor but also a peace corridor."
- TANAP to increase Turkey's strategic importance
Davutoglu said The Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Project (TANAP), which will bring natural gas from Azerbaijan through Turkey to Europe, will increase Turkey's strategic importance.
Noting that Turkey is a ground for both energy transfer and energy consumption, he added, "It will also help decrease Turkey's budget deficit stemming from energy."
The TANAP and Trans-Adriatic gas pipeline projects will also make major contributions to the international economy and political peace, he expressed.
Initially proposed by the European Commission in 1994 and signed into agreement in 2012, the TANAP project has been billed as a "revolution in the energy history" of Eurasia. Its goal is to streamline a direct route for Caspian energy resources to European and Middle Eastern nations, according to the Istanbul-based Caspian Forum.
The pipeline, also dubbed 'the silk road of energy,' will help meet the energy needs of Europe, which currently imports almost 64 percent of its natural gas, This figure is due to rise to 80 percent by 2030.
The forum, hosted by US journalist Charlie Rose, was attended by energy professionals and experts in the field and featured discussions on how the gas from Central Asia should reach consumers in Europe at appropriate market prices.
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