Caspian Energy (CE): How would you comment the decision that Shah Deniz consortium has recently made in choosing TAP project? The American administration, represented earlier by Ms. Clinton, has repeatedly expressed support for Nabucco project?

Amos Hochstein, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Diplomacy, U.S. State Department: The selection of TAP is an important step forward in implementation of the Southern Corridor and therefore a victory for energy security in Europe.  TAP is not primarily a political project, but a dollar-and-cents business decision.  The TAP consortium, which includes a number of major energy companies, was able to make a solid argument to the Shah Deniz consortium for the selection of the TAP route. 

Despite claims that the United States somehow played a role in the pipeline route selection, that is not the case.  U.S. policy has been clear and consistent:  we strongly support the realization of the Southern Corridor, which means we have supported both Nabucco West and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).  Either project would provide a diversified source of gas to Europe, including countries that currently are largely or solely dependent on a single energy supplier.

Part of our commitment going forward is to continue to support improved energy security for the countries that were along the proposed route of the Nabucco West pipeline – we are as committed to their energy security as we are for the region of South East Europe and the continent of Europe as a whole.

By completing a route as the means to link Caspian gas to Europe, the TAP pipeline decision is a major accomplishment for Azerbaijan and a major step forward in implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor.  The Southern Corridor, which also will include an expansion of the South Caucasus pipeline across Azerbaijan and Georgia and the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) across Turkey, will bring a new source of gas supply to Europe.  This reflects Europe’s efforts to diversify its energy resources, including the bold steps toward competition and trade embodied in the EU’s Third Energy Package, an important set of regulatory measures issued in 2009.