BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 14 (UPI) -- EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger arrived Wednesday in Azerbaijan to discuss natural gas corridors for the European Union.
Oettinger arrived Wednesday in Baku for meetings on the so-called Southern Corridor of gas transit networks for Europe, the Azerbaijan Business Center reports.
"Azerbaijan and the EU have developed a strong relationship on energy issues over time," he said. "Progress on the Southern Corridor will be high on the agenda."
Europe aims to diversify its energy sector through the Southern Corridor projects, which include the Nabucco pipeline through Turkey, the White Stream project from Georgia and the so-called Interconnector between Greece, Turkey and Italy.
European partners are struggling to secure commitments from supplier nations for their diversification ambitions. Energy-rich Azerbaijan is seen as a promising candidate to help meet that effort.
Oettinger has meetings scheduled Wednesday with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and representatives from the State Oil Co. of the Azerbaijan Republic.
