High-ranking officials of the European Commission (EC) and representatives of the Azerbaijani government discussed the possibility of increasing the supply of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, the EC reports.
“The meeting was held to discuss current cooperation and prospects for increasing the volume of Azerbaijani gas exports to the EU as part of the expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor,” the EC said in a statement.
The talks were attended by Director General of Energy of the European Commission Cristina Lobillo Borrero and Deputy Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan Elnur Soltanov.
“The EU emphasizes its strong interest in and support for increasing the supply of gas through pipelines from the Caspian region as a key contribution to the diversification of energy sources in line with the priorities of the REPowerEU plan,” the information says.
The EC clarified that the meeting was aimed at continuing and strengthening cooperation in the energy sector in order to support the strengthening of energy security.
The report notes that in the context of escalating global energy challenges, stable bilateral energy relations and cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan are a key factor contributing to competitive, diversified and reliable gas supplies.
Azerbaijan started gas supplies to Europe on December 30, 2020. The current buyers of Azerbaijani gas are Italy, Greece and Bulgaria. In 2021, the volume of supplies amounted to 8.2 bcm, for 2022 the volume of supplies is provided for more than 10 bcm.
Caspian Barrel
