Aliyev, speaking during a visit to London on Tuesday, said Azerbaijan was among the countries that kicked off the project. Saying that the signing of the agreement, which took place in Ankara on Monday, is very important, Aliyev said his country would be ready to supply gas to fill the Nabucco pipeline if it is in line with Azerbaijan's interests. Aliyev, whose country has recently signed a deal with Russia's Gazprom to sell gas to Russia, said they have enough gas to sell everywhere.
Aliyev also said Azerbaijan hoped it would soon sign a transit agreement with Turkey.
Evaluating the efforts to normalize Turkish and Armenian relations in recent months, Aliyev said, “These are the bilateral relations of two countries.” Noting that Turkey and Azerbaijan are very close countries, he said, “Turkey, from the first day of Azerbaijan's independence, has supported Azerbaijan in every instance.” Harkening back to Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan's remarks on reopening the border, he said, “This is the approach of our friend Turkey.” Erdoğan had emphasized that unless Armenia withdraws its troops from occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory within Azerbaijan, they will not reopen their border with Armenia.
Some Western observers have speculated that Azerbaijan's recent agreement with Russia's Gazprom is a sign of Azerbaijan's reluctance to cooperate with and contribute to the Nabucco project. Azerbaijan is expected to be a contributor and transit country for the Nabucco gas pipeline, an $11 billion project expected to be completed by 2014 and backed by the EU. The Nabucco gas pipeline will transport Caspian gas to Europe, bypassing Russia, aiming to decrease Europe's dependence on Russian gas.
