EU Gets OK to Open Treaty Talks for Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline

摘要

The European Commission said Monday it has received a mandate to negotiate a legally binding treaty between the EU, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to build a pipeline across the Caspian Sea and carry Turkmen gas to Europe, diversifying imports away from Russia in the process. Having secured a preliminary mandate in July, Brussels said in a communique that the EU's 27 member states had authorized it to lead negotiations on the ambitious project on their behalf, and noted this was the first time the bloc had proposed a treaty in support of an infrastructure project (NC Aug.4'11).