Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia Agree to Jointly Secure Oil, Gas Pipelines

Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia have agreed to jointly ensure security at oil and gas pipelines, Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz said Sunday.

BAKU (Sputnik) – The three countries share the South Caucasus Pipeline known as the Shah Deniz commissioned in 2006 with the annual capacity of transporting 25 billion cubic meters of gas.

"The ministers of the three countries discussed the issue of oil and gas pipeline security and have agreed in this regard," Yilmaz said in the northern Azerbaijani city of Qebele.

He spoke at the fourth trilateral defense ministerial meeting at the invitation of Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov, who said earlier the three countries had agreed to hold joint military drills.

Plans are underway to connect the Shah Deniz with Europe as part of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), expected to be built before 2019.