ATHENS (Sputnik) — Among the regional energy projects, Skourletis named the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which will transport Caspian natural gas to Europe, crossing Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, then coming to Southern Italy to connect to the Italian gas network.
"We believe that this project will contribute to the diversification of sources and routes of energy resources. The interest in this project is not limited to that from the Russian and Greek sides, and despite the obstacles it faces, it has not been abandoned," Skourletis said on Tuesday at the Athens Energy Forum 2016.
He reaffirmed Greece's commitment to supporting any "positive initiative" related to the project.
Last year, Greece and Russia agreed to build up the South European Pipeline, which is expected to bring 47 billion cubic meters of gas from the Russian energy giant Gazprom into Europe every year once it has been completed, presumably in 2018.
The deal came shortly after Russia gave up on the long-anticipated South Stream project, delivering the Russian gas under the Black Sea to Bulgaria and through Serbia, Hungary and Slovenia further to Austria, bypassing Ukraine. The project created controversy due to alleged non-compliance with EU laws.
