state-oil-company-of-azerbaijan-republicANKARA, Turkey — The head of Azerbaijan’s State Oil and Gas Company on Friday said his country’s gas reserves are rich enough to supply more than one gas pipeline project, raising the possibility Azerbaijan could become a supplier to the EU- and US-backed Nabucco pipeline aimed at lessening Europe’s dependence on Russian gas.

“Azerbaijan’s gas reserves are very rich, we can supply gas to each project separately,” SOCAR’s Rovnag Abdullayev said after his talks with Turkey’s Energy Minister Taner Yildiz in Istanbul. “Politically, we have decided to give support to Nabucco and we have given importance to Nabucco. But we have to look at conditions.”

The prime ministers of Turkey, Austria, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary on Monday are scheduled to sign an intergovernmental deal to allow the pipeline to pass their territory. The pipeline will be build by a private consortium, including a German firm.

The project underlines the growing importance attached to breaking Russia’s energy choke-hold on Europe — a situation most recently underlined by the latest gas dispute between Moscow and transit country Ukraine. That spat escalated early this year, cutting Europe off from Russian gas — which makes up for more than a quarter of its gas needs.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Richard Morningstar, the U.S. special envoy for Eurasian energy issues are scheduled to attend the ceremony. Washington strongly supports the project.

Nabucco will bypass Russia but has no firm commitment from suppliers to fill it with gas. Russia on the other hand clinched a major natural gas deal with Azerbaijan to buy 500 million cubic meters of gas annually starting next year just two weeks ago, striking a blow to European efforts to reduce energy reliance on Russia.

A Turkish foreign ministry official said Monday’s ceremony will mark the commitment by the participant governments and make it more attractive for suppliers. A feasibility study was underway to establish a joint body, called Caspian Development Corporation, to conduct negotiations with gas suppliers on behalf of the consortium, he said.

Turkey has been insisting on purchasing gas from the pipeline at a discounted price but agreed to a compromise deal. Turkey is now hoping to secure its energy needs at a level close to the price negotiated by the joint body, he said.

Turkey was also given the guarantee that the pipeline can pump gas eastward allowing Turkey to buy gas from Europe in the event of a shortage in the country, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.

The consortium is expected to finalize separate deals with each transit country within six months, he said. The pipeline is expected to be operational by 2015.

The project involves investments of 8 billion euros ($10.26 billion), according to EU data. The Nabucco pipeline will be 3,300 kilometers long and run from the Caspian Sea across Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary to Austria.

Russia’s Gazprom is backing an alternative pipeline called South Stream that will bring even more gas to Europe. Turkish officials insist that Nabucco is not competing with Russia and Russia could even become a supplier one day. Moscow was also invited to the ceremony but has not responded yet.

Turkey also regards Iran as a future supplier but did not invite Tehran because of the ongoing nuclear standoff. The United States says Iran’s participation in Nabucco could only be possible after a normalization of diplomatic ties.

Associated Press Writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara contributed to this report.

(sh-sf)