[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10903]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    SUPPORT EUROPE/EURASIA ENERGY SECURITY AND HELP STRENGTHEN OUR 
       STRATEGIC ALLIANCES--THE SOUTHERN GAS CORRIDOR RESOLUTION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL R. TURNER

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 27, 2013

  Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, as Chairman of the U.S. Delegation to the 
North Atlantic Treaty Organization Parliamentary Assembly, I am 
introducing a bipartisan resolution expressing the sense of the House 
of Representatives that it is in our national interest to support and 
enhance Europe's energy security through opening of the Southern Gas 
Corridor.
  Many of our allies in Europe are heavily dependent on natural gas 
supplies from one country or from unstable regions. For example, 
several European countries have experienced natural gas supply 
disruptions from Russia, the largest supplier of natural gas to Europe, 
over various disputes. In addition, Turkey relies on Iran for 20 
percent of its natural gas imports. And earlier this year, Islamist 
militants attacked a natural gas facility in Algeria, which is the 
third largest exporter of natural gas to Europe.
  The Caspian Sea region holds significant energy resources and proven 
natural gas reserves. In particular, the Shah Deniz field in Azerbaijan 
is one of the world's largest gas fields, with over 30 trillion cubic 
feet of recoverable gas. The Southern Gas Corridor will help our 
European allies diversify their energy resources by providing an 
alternative and reliable source of natural gas. This will bolster their 
energy security and help improve geopolitical stability in the region. 
Specifically, the pipeline will route natural gas from Azerbaijan 
through Georgia and Turkey to Europe.
  Current and past administrations have expressed support for the 
Southern Gas Corridor. At the U.S.-Azerbaijan Convention in late May 
2013, U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar stated:

       ``. . . Azerbaijan's importance to European energy security 
     will remain strong, helping to guarantee that our European 
     partners are not overly reliant on any suppliers. Azerbaijan 
     is now in the final stages of establishing a southern 
     corridor for natural gas.
       ``. . . our overriding interest is that Azerbaijani gas 
     reaches vulnerable markets in Europe . . . ''

  Additionally, a December 2012 report by Senator Richard Lugar's 
Foreign Relations Committee staff entitled ``Energy and Security from 
the Caspian to Europe'' states:

       ``. . . the Southern Corridor would advance several U.S. 
     and NATO foreign policy objectives: it would further isolate 
     Iran, assist in cultivating partners in the Caucasus and 
     Central Asia and bolster their sovereign independence, and 
     perhaps most importantly, curtail Russia's energy leverage 
     over European NATO allies.''

  Mr. Speaker, the Southern Gas Corridor will contribute to regional 
energy security for our allies in Europe and Eurasia, and help to 
strengthen our strategic partnership.
  I urge all my colleagues to support this important resolution.

                          ____________________