EU Ready to Mull Connecting Iran to Southern Gas Corridor: Official
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The EU is ready to discuss the possibility of connecting Iran to the Southern Gas Corridor, European Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic said at a press conference in Baku.
This will also depend on Iran’s strategy, as presently the country mainly focuses on increasing oil export, Sefcovic said Thursday following the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council.
Expression of interest by different countries to the Southern Gas Corridor once again testifies to its importance as a strategic infrastructure, he said.
Thanks to the project, Europe will have access to a region rich in energy resources, he said, adding the European side is ready to discuss all further opportunities related to the Southern Gas Corridor.
The issue has been several times discussed with Iran’s representatives, he added, according to Trend news agency.
The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority projects for the EU.
There has been a new wave of interest in ties with Iran, especially among European countries, since Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) in July 2015 reached a nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and started implementing it in January 2016.
The agreement terminated all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran.
Iran sits on the world’s fourth-largest oil and second-largest gas reserves, and is among the world’s top 10 oil and top five natural gas producers.
According to some estimates, Iran is the world’s top gas reserves holder with 33.8 trillion cubic meters.
