Turkish President Gul to hold two-day energy talks in Azerbaijan

The summit will take place in the Azerbaijani capital on Nov. 13-14 under the auspices of President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, according to a statement posted on the Turkish president's website.   Â

Energy Minister Hilmi Guler will accompany Gul on his two-day visit.

The summit will focus on energy projects concerning regional countries, the statement said.

Participating countries will also be informed on Turkey's energy policy and the country's will to develop cooperation ties with countries in the region, it added.

Aliyev earlier in November paid a visit to Turkey to discuss potential partnerships in energy, including the Nabucco gas pipeline project, alongside political issues concerning the region.

The 3,300 km Nabucco pipeline project is designed to bring 30 billion cubic meters of central Asian gas annually to Europe via Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. Supporters say it is vital to wean Europe from its over-dependency on Russian energy.

Azerbaijan, a country among the supply candidates for Nabucco, has been already exporting gas to Turkey from Shah Deniz through Georgia via a 692-kilometers-long South Caucasus Pipeline, which runs parallel to the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline.Â

Photo: AA