President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has assured Bulgarian Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism Traicho Traikov that there is available Azeri gas for Bulgaria apart from the volumes earmarked for the Nabucco pipeline.

Traikov is on a visit to Azerbaijan as part of an energy diversification tour in the Caucasus-Caspian region, according to an announcement of the press office of the Bulgarian Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism.

The main issue on the agenda of Aliyev's meeting with Traikov was the opportunity for supplying Azeri natural gas to Bulgaria.

Bulgaria can receive up to 1 bcm of natural gas per year, which will be made possible after the finalization of the gas grid interconnections with Greece or Turkey.

"The implementation of this project is important for Bulgaria because it offers a diversification of sources and routes of gas supply to our country", Traikov stated Wednesday, stressing the key role of the project for ensuring the energy security of the region and of entire Europe.

Traikov also drew attention to the significance of the formation and pursuit of a common EU energy policy for Bulgaria's relations with non-member states.

President Aliyev argued that the most logical route for the transit of Azeri gas to Bulgaria went through Turkey.

He also specified that Azerbaijan was in talks with Bulgaria's southeastern neighbor on the terms of transiting gas volumes through its territory

Aliyev further assured that the negotiated gas supplies would be made available after the finalization of the gas transit agreement.

Following a meeting with his Azeri counterpart, Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov commented that Bulgaria would start buying 1 bcm of natural gas per year from the Caspian country starting 2011.

The first gas along the Bulgaria-Greece gas grid interconnection should flow in 2013, or one year ahead of schedule.

Regular shipments are to start in the summer of 2014.

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