Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey to Inaugurate Gas Pipeline Project

The Turkish and Azeri presidents and Georgian Prime Minister on Saturday inaugurated the Europe link of the strategic Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP).

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed that the project dubbed as the Silk Road of energy is a symbol of deep-rooted friendship between Turkey and Azerbaijan.

"A dream of supplying 16 billion cubic meters of Azeri natural gas to Turkey and Europe has come true," Erdogan added.

Erdogan added that TANAP is the most important part of the 3,500-kilometer (2,174-miles) energy corridor which extends from Azerbaijan to Europe.

Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia, Albania, Serbia and Bosnia Herzegovina would also benefit from the mega project, said the Turkish leader adding that the TANAP was a project of "regional peace."

The pipeline will begin carrying gas to the European section of the Southern Gas Corridor, an ambitious initiative of the European Commission for a natural gas supply route from the Caspian and Middle Eastern regions to Europe. It will pass through the Trans Adriatic Pipeline - the European leg of the corridor.

The TANAP project was officially launched in June 2018. It stretches from the Turkish-Georgian border to the Turkish-Greek border.