OREANDA-NEWS. December 07, 2012. The International Caspian Forum was held in Istanbul on December 6. The Caspian Forum, organized by the Caspian Strategic Institute, brings together prominent leaders from Eurasia, U.S. and Europe to discuss the energy, energy security, transportation, economic, political issues, and investment opportunities of the Caspian Region.

The Secretary General of the Caspian Strategic Institute Haldun Yavas delivered a keynote speech at the event. Turkish deputy Foreign Minister Naci Koru, Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Khalaf Khalafov, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz, Former US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev delivered a speech at the event. Pointing out the strategic importance of Caspian energy resources in the energy system development of Asia, SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev spoke about Azerbaijan’s contribution in this sphere and achievements in oil and gas sector.

As he stated, with discovery and successful operation of Shahdeniz field, Azerbaijan became a gas exporting country. He stated that today Azerbaijan solved its energy problems, and it began to play an important role in energy security of region states and European countries. Mr Abdullayev said that Azerbaijan is playing the role of a reliable gas supplier to Europe. Azerbaijani oil was supplied to the Mediterranean market after commissioning the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan gas pipeline in 2006. “Southern Gas Corridor strategy is the basis for mutual relations between Azerbaijan and the European Union in the field of energy security.

Negotiations and signing the Joint Declaration by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the European Commission Josй Manuel Barroso in January 2011 became the crucial point in the implementation of this strategy”, SOCAR President said. He said that by 2025 Azerbaijan's export potential will reach a minimum of 40-50 billion cubic meters of gas and most of it will be transported to Europe. As he stated, a reliable and expandable transportation infrastructure is required to transport such a large volume of gas, and the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline (TANAP) will be such a system.