ANKARA, Turkey, May 16 (UPI) -- The Hungarian government could sign on to the Nabucco natural gas pipeline during a June meeting in Turkey, the Turkish energy minister said.
Europe aims to break the Russian grip on the regional energy sector by moving non-Russian natural gas supplies through the planned Nabucco pipeline.
Reinhard Mitschek, managing director of the international group, said last week that rescheduling construction from 2012 to 2013 was driven by the timing outlined by potential gas suppliers in the Caspian and Middle Eastern regions.
Nabucco would stretch from Turkey to Austria, crossing Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary. Supplies could come from Azerbaijan.
Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz told Turkish broadcaster CNN Turk he expected Hungary to sign off on the project during a June 6 meeting in Turkey.
He added it was time for potential partners to express their stance on the project as soon as possible.
"I think it is high time that the candidate suppliers present their preferences about the matter," he was quoted as saying."Even 'no' is an acceptable answer."
