Elshad Nashirov, Vice President of State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), said in his interview to Italian journalists that Moscow stands behind the campaign against trans-Adriatic gas pipeline (TAP). In his interview to L’Espresso newspaper, he said that the statements that the gas pipeline will cause damage to the ecology of the region have no grounds.
“Italy is concerned that the pipeline, which will be laid along the Adriatic Sea bottom, is fraught with ecological problems. In order to understand that these suppositions are groundless, it is just enough to look at the Caspian Sea and see that the gas pipelines along the Sea bottom have no threat to sturgeon,” he said.
The newspaper writes that Azerbaijan is aware of importance of the gas pipeline both for Europe and Azerbaijani economy. However, the project’s implementation clashes with the interests of the main gas exporter to Europe – Gasprom.
At present the government of the south of Italy is opposed to the project implementation, claiming that it hinders development of tourism and damages landscape of Italy.
“It is clear that unlike Russian Gasprom, which delivers 154 billion cub.m. of gas to Europe, Azerbaijan will deliver only 10 billion cub.m. But even this small volume of gas irritates Moscow,” writes the newspaper.
Nasirov has also commented on the campaign against the gas pipeline launched by Beppe Grillo, former comedy actor, leader of the Italian 5 Star Movement M5S represented in parliament.
“I could just remind that in his interview to Russian media Beppe Grillo that he will make everything possible to weaken SOCAR’s positions in Italy. In the end the campaign against TAP gas pipeline will suit Russia,” he said.
