Gas from Azerbaijan's giant Shah Deniz II
field will reach Europe by 2017, Turkey's energy minister
Taner Yildiz said Wednesday, one day after Ankara and Baku inked a long-awaited
gas transit deal.
But Yildiz gave no further details on the substance of the deal, which was
signed by Turkey's Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Yildiz said Turkey would "fulfill
its responsibilities" on the Nabucco project--the European Union-backed
pipeline project for bringing Caspian gas to European
markets.
Analysts had expected the Shah Deniz deal to be signed but had repeated
cautions that the agreements may not be binding enough to hold.
In August, the Turkish ambassador in Baku said Turkey may conclude a deal
on the transit of natural gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz II field
by September, potentially supplying gas to the Nabucco pipeline project.