Georgian Economy Minister on Plan to Send Gas from Caspian Sea to Europe
At a briefing, Levan Davitashvili, Georgia's Vice Prime Minister and the Minister of Economy, declared that the administration is working on a plan to send gas from the Caspian Sea through Georgia to Europe.
Minister Davitashvili said the project began in 2015 and is intended for the gas to be turned into a liquid state on the territory of Georgia and subsequently gasified in Romania. Azerbaijan, Romania, and Hungary are also involved.
He lamented that, unfortunately, this project was stopped and had no further development and emphasized that this project acquired special relevance this year due to current processes at a time when Europe is particularly interested in alternative sources of gas supply, and everyone is talking about diversifying the energy supply.
The Minister said the administration has begun working on crucial energy and energy transportation projects with its allies. He mentioned Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan, who was visiting Georgia at the time, noting that the project was one of the primary subjects of conversation.
According to the Minister of Economy, a working meeting took place among the Oil and Gas Corporation from the Georgian side, SOCAR from the Azerbaijani side, and partners in Romania and Hungary participating in the project.
Minister Davitashvili added that the project and current infrastructure on Georgian and Azerbaijani soil would be evaluated. He emphasized that the budget will be created considering the project's specifics, the state of the existing infrastructure, and other factors. He continued, "First of all, we need a complete picture to form a detailed action plan and start the step-by-step implementation of this plan, including attracting investments in this direction. It will not happen in a day, and it will not happen in a year."