Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of BIH Zlatko Lagumdžija participated in Dubrovnik yesterday at a meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Albania, Croatia, Greece, Italy and Montenegro, where they signed a joint statement on the occasion of support to the construction of a trans-Adriatic pipeline (TAP) and its subsequent connecting of the Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline (IAP).
The Ministers expressed their strong political commitment and full support to the TAP project, which plans the transport of Azerbaijani gas from Greece to Italy through Albania, which would represent an integral part of the south gas corridor.
In a joint statement, they expressed full support for the subsequent connection of the trans-Adriatic with the Ionian-Adriatic pipeline, which would enable an optimal gas supply of the region of Southern Europe and a part of Southeastern Europe.
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs believe that this would contribute to the strengthening of regional energy stability, which is of vital importance for development and progress in the future.
The Ministers exchanged views on individual responsibilities that are based on development, finance, construction and functioning of projects of trans-Adriatic and Ionian-Adriatic pipelines, as well as preparations of the domestic market for the delivery of Caspian gas.
Lagumdžija said that, in addition to strengthening the strategic importance of the region of South Europe, diversification of energy sources would contribute to lowering the prices currently paid by households and the industrial sector.
He said that BiH pays relatively high prices for natural gas in comparison to the rest of the region, as is the case with Greece and Italy in the context of Europe, which would ultimately reflect negatively on the performance of the economy.
At the meeting in Dubrovnik, Lagumdžija said that in the recent official visit to Azerbaijan, he spoke with the President Ilham Aliyevi on the improvement of economic cooperation in the area of energy, and of the eventual support of Azerbaijan on the construction of the trans-Adriatic pipeline.
The Ministers welcomed the presence of the representatives of Azerbaijan and the European Commission due to their importance for the distribution and diversification of energy sources and transport routes in the wider European context, announced the BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
