AKIPRESS.COM - The European Union expects to start importing natural gas from Turkmenistan by 2019, European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič told Reuters in an interview on May 2.

"We have good mutual understanding. For Turkmenistan it is very important to diversify its export options, while for the EU it is very important to diversify its imports," Šefčovič told Reuters in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

"Europe expects supplies of Turkmen gas to begin by 2019," he said, speaking in Russian.

Turkmenistan is keen to diversify exports of the fuel away from Russia which will cut its imports to 4 billion cubic metres this year from 11 bcm in 2014.

Šefčovič is overseeing the EU's push for an energy union, a single market for power and gas based on better connections between member states and aimed at curbing Russia's dominant position, particularly in the gas market.

Visiting Ashgabat on Friday, he met Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz, Azerbaijan's Energy Minister Natiq Aliyev, Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister Baymurad Hojamukhamedov and Yagshygeldy Kakayev, who heads Turkmenistan's hydrocarbon resources agency.

"In this format we discussed all aspects referring to the trans-Caspian pipeline," Šefčovič said. "We made a big step in the strategic direction."

The project, designed to bring Turkmen gas to Europe across the Caspian Sea via the so-called "southern gas corridor" which includes Azerbaijan and Turkey, has been stuck for years due to political, ecological and financial uncertainties.

"Now there is a political decision that Turkmenistan will become part of this project and will feed the European direction," Šefčovič said.

Šefčovič declined to say how much gas Turkmenistan could supply annually to Europe.