The Nabucco pipeline may also buy natural gas from the countries it is crossing, if they will provide such sources, said Reinhard Mitschek, CEO of "Nabucco Gas Pipeline International GmbH". "Nabucco isn't just a transit corridor, but also a huge market which provides many business possibilities to those who are interested, and if the countries which it crosses will have local sources of natural gas available, they will have the ability to become suppliers to the gas pipeline", he said.

The Nabucco Political Committee, which includes the Nabucco government representatives of the countries it is crossing, yesterday confirmed the political support for the Nabucco Gas Pipeline Agreement and for the existing Intergovernmental Agreement, thus ensuring the confidence of investors and producers.

The committee was hosted by the Energy Ministry of Austria and saw the participation of the European Commissioner for Energy, Günther Oettinger, of the Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov and of the energy ministers of Bulgaria, Hungary, Turkey and Romania, as well as of the shareholders of Nabucco. He confirmed that the current legal and regulatory framework for the Nabucco project is applicable according to the Intergovernmental Agreement, the Project Support Agreement) (PSA) which are still in effect, as well as for the project which begins at the Bulgarian border. The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Industry and Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Natig Aliyev, who made a presentation on the evolution of the project from the producers' point of view.

Reinhard Mitschek said: "The Political Committee reaffirms the political, legal and regulatory support for Nabucco. This commitment is a crucial factor which makes Nabucco the most advanced pipeline project in the Southern Corridor, very attractive for the market participants all over Europe and