Mojtaba Damirchi: Nabucco can't be implemented without Iran's participation

PanARMENIAN.Net - Nabucco can't be implemented without Iran's participation, Iranian Ambassador to Georgia Mojtaba Damirchi said.



"Iran has the world's second largest natural gas reserves. So the European consumer market takes an active interest in our country. When the matter concerns economic projects, their implementation should be based on the economic interests of the region and therefore be acceptable from an economic standpoint. Not political but economic factors should play the decisive role in Nabucco project," he said.



European countries are expressing willingness to cooperate with Iran on Nabucco, according to him.



"There are three main parties to the Nabucco project: gas producers, transit countries and consuming countries. European states, which are consumers in this case, doubt Nabucco efficiency without Iran's participation," Ambassador Damirchi emphasized.



The Nabucco pipeline is a planned natural gas pipeline that will transport natural gas from Turkey to Austria, via Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary. It will run from Erzurum in Turkey to Baumgarten an der March, a major natural gas hub in Austria. This pipeline is a diversion from the current methods of importing natural gas solely from Russia. The project is backed by some of the European Union states and the United States. It's estimated to cost some €7.9 billion.