(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 7. The Washington
Post daily newspaper has published an article on the threat that
Iran poses to major energy projects in the South Caucasus, and,
thus, Azerbaijan's growing plans on energy exports to Europe,
trend reports.
'After Azerbaijan triumphed in a 44-day war with Armenia in
2020, it reclaimed districts along a 130-kilometer (81-mile)
stretch of its border with Iran that Armenians had occupied since
the 1990s. It also regained part of the main highway linking Iran
to Armenia, a critical trade route to the Black Sea and Russia.
Tehran reacted angrily when Azerbaijan imposed a heavy tax on
Iranian trucks carrying goods to Armenia, effectively paralyzing
trade between them and jeopardizing Iran's access to markets
farther away,' the authors said.
According to the article, in 2021, Iran's Revolutionary Guards
Corps (IRGC) held large-scale military drills near the border with
Azerbaijan.
'bp and its partners have invested more than $70 billion in
Azerbaijan's energy development and transportation projects since
1994. The projects include a 1,768-kilometer oil pipeline
connecting Caspian Sea output with Türkiye's Mediterranean port of
Ceyhan. Azerbaijan also helped build 3,500 kilometers (2,174 miles)
of natural gas pipelines to Europe via Georgia and Türkiye,' the
Washington Post authors noted.
Meanwhile, Southern Gas Corridor started transportation of
Azerbaijani gas to Europe on December 31, 2020. It transports gas
from the Caspian Sea region to European countries through Georgia
and Türkiye.
This large-scale project is aimed at the diversification of
energy supply routes and sources, thereby contributing to
strengthening Europe's energy security. The project's cost totaled
$33 billion, as compared to the forecast of $45 billion. Capital
expenditures on the SGC project are expected to be fully reimbursed
within 8-10 years.
In July 2022 Azerbaijan and EU agreed to double the volume of
gas transportation from Azerbaijan from 10 billion cubic meters to
20 billion cubic meters per year by 2027.
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