Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan to be vital EU partner vis-a-vis gas imports

Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are likely to become a significant partner of the European Union (EU) in terms of gas imports in several years from now, with Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini (Smer-SD), who will end his working trip to Central Asia on Friday, also thinking that both states should be an important part of additional gas transit routes. "Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan should be part of additional transit routes. A gas pipeline should be directed to Europe through Turkey and thus diversify Europe's dependence on current routes," said Pellegrini. The distance of these countries from Europe may not be a problem for them.