(Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic said in Baku on Thursday that the construction of the Adriatic-Ionian Gas Pipeline (IAP), which was important for Croatia and the entire Southeast Europe, was entering concrete preparations, as confirmed in meetings with senior Azerbaijani officials.
We see IAP as an energy project which is very important for Croatia"s economy and energy security, which also means political stability. We see it as a project which is not important only for Croatia, but for our entire region, Pusic said at the end of her visit to Azerbaijan.
She said her talks there focused on energy, gas and the construction of IAP, the next stage after the Trans Adriatic Gas Pipeline (TAP). A decision on TAP has been made and it will stretch from Azerbaijan to Albania and Italy across the Adriatic Sea.
We concluded in the talks that IAP is the next stage which requires that Croatia immediately begin with preparations relating to route, design, public procurement, and markets, Pusic said, adding that IAP was an additional alternative source, route and supplier for all countries in the region, for Croatia"s northern neighbours and part of central Europe.
Until now this has been a matter of consultations and presentation of projects to Azerbaijan so that it could see that this is a real part of its project to bring its gas to Europe, Pusic said, adding that this was confirmed at the meetings.
In Baku, Pusic also talked about bilateral relations and economic cooperation. She said the prospects were good for Croatian shipyards and companies negotiating or interested in the Azerbaijani market.
There was also talk of the relations between Azerbaijan and the European Union.
Pusic said Azerbaijan was a very important and valuable EU partner and that a partnership agreement between the two should be finalised, adding that Croatia would be on the side of those who felt that this was in the mutual interest.
Pusic met with President Ilham Aliyev, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, and the vice president of Azerbaijan"s biggest oil company, SOCAR, Elshad Nasirov.
Azerbaijan was the last country on Pusic"s central Asia tour, which also took her to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. The meetings with their top officials focused on economic cooperation, notably energy.
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