THE Turkey-Greece gas pipeline for transmission of Azeri gas to Europe will be in operation by the end of 2006, Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler said on 26 May. "At the end of the year, Turkey will send Azeri gas to Greece," Guler told a gathering of Turkish investors, adding that from there it would eventually go to Italy via a subsea line across the Agean. "We are enriching Europe," he said. The construction of the pipeline started last July in a ceremony held at the middle of the bridge over Meric River, the natural frontier between Greece and Turkey. The 300-km long pipeline, with 209km in Turkey, will eventually transport gas from Azerbaijan and other Caucasus producers to European countries. The initial capacity of 3.5bn cum/yr will eventually be increased to 11.5bn cum/yr.