The Minister s
of Foreign Affairs of six countries – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,
Greece, Italy and Montenegro – met in Dubrovnik, Croatia, on 12th June to
demonstrate their support for the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and for the
Ionian Adriatic Pipeline (IAP).
On the occasion
of this High Level meeting which included representatives from Azerbaijan, the
European Commission and TAP, Michael Hoffmann, External Affairs Director of TAP,
said:
“We are pleased
and grateful to receive strong and continuous political support for our
pipeline. The Dubrovnik meeting is a testament to our project’s advanced status
and unmatched benefits. TAP is the most strategic solution for supplying gas to
South Eastern Europe: it will contribute to boosting energy security in the
region and enhance economic development. With the Shah Deniz consortium decision
on the Southern Gas Corridor expected by the end of the month, we remain
confident that TAP is the best solution to transport Caspian gas to Europe: the
shortest, most technically feasible and, above all, the only project ready for
implementation.”
The Dubrovnik
meeting follows the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding in support of the
TAP and IAP pipelines by Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro
in May 2013 as well as a declaration of support by the Adriatic Ionian
Initiative Council.
Earlier this
year in April, TAP’s host countries (Italy, Greece and Albania) held the first
Trilateral Cooperation Committee Meeting in Rome, where they expressed their
commitment to the realisation of the project as per the Intergovernmental
Agreement signed in February.