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Washington Backs Baku-Tbilisi Energy Cooperation - Diplomat

BAKU. Jan 10 (Interfax) - The strengthening of Azerbaijan's and Georgia's energy independence improves the efficiency of European markets, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Matthew Bryza said.

"The way Azerbaijan and Georgia have worked during this winter - I risk sounding overly positive in my assessment here - but what has happened in the last few weeks is a powerful example of how both public and private partnerships, meaning companies and governments, can work together, neighbors like Azerbaijan and Georgia can work together to strengthen their own independence," Bryza said in an interview with the Azeri State Telegraph Agency AzerTAj.

This partnership advances the interests of private companies, "whose investments are critical to Azerbaijan's energy sector and to maintaining balanced economic growth," Bryza said.

"I'd like to emphasize that this cooperation with Azerbaijan isn't being done for the United States. We don't look at it as somehow satisfying our demand. We will never consume gas produced in Azerbaijan. But we care about gas production in Azerbaijan: by bolstering the energy independence of Azerbaijan and Georgia, the efficiency of markets in Europe is improved," he said.

He also said he was hopeful for the development of energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.

"We would love to see the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline put in place. We would like to see Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan come to an agreement on the demarcation of the boundary," he said.