Invest News DetailStar - The Trans Anatolian Pipeline Project (TANAP), the planned pipeline to carry Azeri gas to European markets, may take on foreign partners according to the project’s main stakeholder, State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR). Speaking to the Turkish press at the sidelines of the signing ceremony between SOCAR and Dutch APM Terminals to build a container port for Petkim in Izmir, SOCAR President Rövnag Abdullayev said that talks on possible partnerships regarding TANAP would begin as soon as the interstate deals were signed. SOCAR is a co-owner of Petkim, Türkiye’s largest petrochemicals complex. The company also controls a majority share of TANAP, designed to cross Turkish territory to carry gas from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz field to Europe. The Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) and Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAS) are partners with SOCAR in the consortium to build the pipeline. “SOCAR is negotiating with foreign companies about possible partnerships on TANAP. Companies like BP, Statoil and Total may take part in the project,” said Abdullayev, underlining that SOCAR’s principal partner status will not change with new partners. TANAP is also being closely monitored by European gas distribution companies, which are also interested in taking part in the project, he noted. The construction of the USD 5 billion pipeline project is to start in 2013, with gas to start flowing through it in 2017.