Foreign ministers adopt Joint Statement on TAP and IAP

Foreign ministers of countries participants in the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline (IAP) projects met in Dubrovnik on Wednesday to confirm the political support to the implementation of the two projects

Foreign ministers of countries participants in the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline (IAP) projects met in Dubrovnik on Wednesday to confirm the political support to the implementation of the two projects. Apart from Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusić, the meeting in Dubrovnik was also attended by Albanian Foreign Minister Aldo Bumci, Bosnia and Herzegovina Foreign Minister Zlatko Lagumdžija, Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopulos, Montenegrin Deputy Prime Minister Igor Lukšić and Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Marta Dassi.

Countries participants in the TAP and IAP projects wanted, in cooperation with Azerbaijan, to enable the supply of Caspian and Azerbaijani gas to Europe and connect TAP and IAP which would enable the gas supply to run from Greece to Albania and Italy and from Albania to the east coast of the Adriatic. “This will contribute to the further strengthening of energy stability,” Pusić said, adding that this was the first joint meeting of the participating countries.

“Given our geographical position, it is in our interest that the gas supply runs from Greece to Albania and Montenegro and then to Split, while in Croatia pipeline has already been constructed. There is the possibility of spreading to Bulgaria on the one side and Slovenia and Austria on the other. The six participating countries strongly support the pipeline, which is important for Europe, notably its southeast, which is the basis for Europe’s stability and cooperation in the region. If the decision was made, we are ready to start immediately with the realization of the project. I would like to thank my colleagues for supporting the logical common economic and political interest,” Pusić said.

Greek FM Avramopoulos said that the “energy will determine the speed of economic growth, while the pipeline will make the region energetically independent. The TAP and IAP projects will be a constituent part of the Southeast European gas corridor which in Greece alone will open up 2000 new jobs and 10,000 more in the region.” Italian Deputy FM Dassu underlined that this was commercially the most viable option. Albanian and Montenegrin foreign ministers supported the projects as they offer a chance for the gasification of Albania and Montenegro, while Bosnia and Herzegovina’s FM Lagumdžija proposed a unique project titled TIAP.

The meeting adopted a Joint Statement. 

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