Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras met on Friday night with BP Group Chief Executive Robert Dudley during his visit to Baku as one of several country leaders attending events related to the natural gas pipeline in Azerbaijan. Earlier, Samaras attended a dinner by Azeri President Ilham Aliyev that was also attended by the Prime Ministers of Turkey, Bulgaria and Montenegro. It was the first time he met with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu after his election. Samaras also met briefly with President Aliyev on Friday and discussed the two countries’ collaboration in energy, as Greece is Azerbaijan’s most important strategic partner in Europe. Among others, they discussed the possibility of increasing the supply of Azeri natural gas to Greece in the case that supply was disrupted due to the Ukrainian crisis. The issue was raised by Samaras and Aliyev agreed that the technical aspects should be further discussed by the appropriate Ministers from both countries. In addition to their 20-minute meeting, Samaras and Aliyev had a more extended discussion over a dinner hosted by the Azeri President. During their talks, they agreed that Greece is emerging as an energy hub in southeastern Europe and emphasized the important role of the Greek-Bulgarian pipeline. The two leaders also reviewed the bilateral agreements signed in the energy sector and procedures for implementing the TransAdriatic Pipeline (TAP) within the existing deadline, as well as the progress in the privatization of Greece’s Natural Gas System Operator (DESFA) via the transfer of a 66% share to Azerbaijan’s SOCAR. Regarding DESFA, the European Commission is expected to give the official green light for the deal and confirm that it is compatible with European energy laws by September 29, at which time the relevant procedures can move forward. During the meeting, Samaras and Aliyev agreed to speed up the process and make an effort to overcome any bureaucratic problems. Referring to events on Saturday, Aliyev said this would be an important anniversary and a new start of Azerbaijan. He also briefed Samaras on the discussions regarding energy issues held with other foreign leaders attending the events in Baku. The meeting between Aliyev and Samaras was followed by a meeting of delegations from both countries. From the Greek side it was attended by Environment, Climate and Energy Minister Yiannis Maniatis, Deputy Energy Minister Assimakis Papageorgiou and government spokeswoman Sofia Voultepsi. On Saturday, Samaras and the Greek delegation will attend an event celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Shah Deniz natural gas field agreements and a special event on the Southern Corridor pipeline network, where new drilling will formally begin. The events will also be attended by delegations from Turkey, Italy, Albania, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Croatia and the UK. On the events’ sidelines, Samaras plans to have meetings with foreign leaders. (source: ana-mpa)
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