BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler said Wednesday the proposed Nabucco natural gas pipeline is a top national interest to diversify the regional energy sector.

Guler, who is attending a regional energy summit in the Azeri capital, Baku, said the European Union was currently reviewing the prospects of developing the Nabucco pipeline to bring natural gas to Europe through his country, Turkish daily Hurriyet reported.

Beyond Nabucco, Guler noted there were no concerns regarding the security of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline.

Shipments through BTC were interrupted Aug. 5 because of a fire at a pumping station in eastern Turkey. The separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party claimed responsibility for the fire, but Guler reminded officials there was no evidence to support the claim.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her support for the Nord Stream gas pipeline through the Black Sea.

Russian energy giant Gazprom owns the majority stake in a consortium to bring natural gas to Germany.