"Heads of state and government from 12 countries have signalled their intention to attend the two-day Nabucco international summit that begins in Budapest today. The Prime Minister’s Office said 17-20 delegations are expected to attend.Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány stressed that the main goal of the summit is to generate pre-funding for the 3,200km Nabucco gas pipeline, which would bypass Russia and Ukraine.
On Monday afternoon Gyurcsány met with President Ilhan Aliyev of Azerbaijan. “The Nabucco project is an economic rather than a political issue for Azerbaijan, and the country is committed to the European gas project, although a number of important issues need to be cleared up before a final decision is reached,” Aliev told the state news agency MTI and Duna TV.
The premier has also planned talks with Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev and European Investment Bank president Philippe Maystadt. Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, the current rotating chairman of the European Union and EU energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs will also attend the talks. An envoy of US President Barack Obama will also attend the summit.
The future pipeline, with a planned capacity of 31 billion m³, would start at Erzurum, Turkey and, avoiding Russia and Ukraine, would transit natural gas via Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary to Austria.
Europe’s energy independence is at stake at the conference, Magyar Hírlap writes."
Source: Hungary Around the Clock.
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27.01.2009