AZERI PM ADDRESSES BATUMI ENERGY CONFERENCE

Batumi, 15 January (AzerTAc). Azerbaijan`s Prime Minister Artur Rasizadeh has delivered a speech at an international energy conference in Batumi, Georgia.
Rasizadeh said Azerbaijan played “a crucial role” in ensuring Europe`s energy security.
The Premier praised Azerbaijan`s transit potential, saying the country had “huge transport infrastructure”.
“Azerbaijan`s potential can be used to strengthen and expand the international cooperation in supplying oil and gas to the world markets.”
Rasizadeh hailed the South Corridor project, expressing hope it would help ensure “mutually advantageous partnership among Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey as well as European, Central Asian and Middle Eastern countries”.
On Azerbaijan`s oil and gas potential, the Prime Minister said: “In 2010 we plan to produce 52.5 million tons of oil and 28.5 billion cubic meters of gas.”
“Azerbaijan`s has estimated natural gas reserves of 2 trillion cubic meters, but we think we have much more,” said Rasizadeh.
The Azeri premier said his country was ready to discuss with its partners “opportunities for supplying Azeri gas – via Georgia - to Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Eastern and Central European countries”.
The Batumi conference brought together delegates from 11 countries