(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 23. As energy crisis
hits Europe and forces the region to establish new partnerships and
strengthen the existing ones, Azerbaijan is there to lend a hand to
its partners and provide them with more resources. Thanks to the
clear foreign policy of President Ilham Aliyev, Europe today pays
special attention to cooperation with Azerbaijan, as to a reliable
and certified partner.
Italy is one of Azerbaijan's closest European partners in this
regard. Cooperation between the two countries has acquired
strategic importance for both sides, and active work is underway to
further expand this partnership.
As President Ilham Aliyev noted during the meeting with
Alessandro Profumo, Chief Executive Director of Italian Leonardo
company Alessandro Profumo in Munich, Italy is Azerbaijan's closest
partner in the EU, and the visits of three Italian ministers to
Azerbaijan in recent months are a real indicator of development of
bilateral relations.
Of course, during these difficult times, when the continent's
energy security is under threat, Azerbaijan's energy resources are
needed more than ever. And the cooperation in this field between
Azerbaijan and Italy is flourishing.
Italy became the main importer of gas from Azerbaijan in 2022.
Last year, the volume of Azerbaijani gas imported by the country
amounted to 8.21 bpm, which is 34.3 percent more than in 2021.
In this respect, it is important to note the role of the
Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which provides a significant part of
Europe, including Italy, with Azerbaijani natural gas.
As Luca Schieppati, TAP Managing Director, said in an exclusive
interview with trend , December 31, 2022 marked two years since the
launch of this project, and since then the pipeline supplies have
already amounted to 19 bcm. In 2022, TAP transported about 11 bcm
of natural gas to Europe, while the volume of supplies via TAP to
Italy alone increased by 41 percent over the year.
At the same time, according to Schiepatti, the second stage of
accepting binding proposals as part of a market test to double the
TAP capacity is scheduled for September 2023, following which it
will be possible to double the pipeline capacity to 20 bcm.
'We are signing contracts for the transportation of new
long-term capacities, which will be available by the end of 2025.
Of this volume, 1 bcm will be supplied to Italy, and 200 mcum will
be delivered to Albania,' he added.
Moreover, Azerbaijan's Azerenerji and Italian Ansaldo Energia
have signed an agreement for the supply of four gas turbines to
Azerbaijan. This agreement will pave the way for confirming Italy's
role as Europe's energy hub, and strengthen Azerbaijan's role in
the European energy market.
The bilateral agenda between the two countries is becoming much
broader. For example, the Joint Declaration on Strengthening the
Strategic Partnership, signed during the visit of President Ilham
Aliyev to Italy in 2020, has defined future directions of strategic
partnership between Azerbaijan and Italy. This very deep and
detailed document covers all kinds of spheres - from political and
economic to cultural and humanitarian areas. At the same time, it
implies the mutual provision of support within the framework of
international organizations.
Just a few days ago, the two countries discussed the possibility
of expanding the issuance of visas to Azerbaijani citizens wishing
to visit Italy for the purpose of education and tourism, as well as
the issue of mutual recognition of documents.
Also, most recently, the parties discussed the further
development of cooperation between the private sector of the two
countries, as well as the possibilities of holding an
Azerbaijani-Italian business forum and the creation of a joint
chamber of industry and commerce.
Meanwhile, the trade turnover between the two countries almost
doubled year-on-year in 2022, amounting to $18.1 billion ($9.6
billion in 2021). In particular, Azerbaijani exports to Italy grew
year-on-year by 92.3 percent – from $9.2 billion to $17.7 billion.
Both in 2022 and 2021, Italy ranked first among the main countries
of origin for exports from Azerbaijan, and the total trade turnover
as well.
Azerbaijan's oil supplies to Italy are a huge part of the
bilateral trade. Mainly, Azerbaijani oil exports to Italy over the
last year totaled 8.9 million tons worth $6.6 billion. Just in
December 2022, Azerbaijan ranked first among the main crude
exporters to Italy.
Moreover, Italy had not been left out of the reconstruction
processes carried out by Azerbaijan on the liberated lands and had
been one of the first countries to join it. Italian companies are
actively involved in the restoration of religious sites, as well as
in the construction and design of museums.
President Ilham Aliyev has rightly pointed out that the
relations between Azerbaijan and Italy not only provide for the
interests of the two countries but also the interests of large
geography.
Considering all of the above, it is safe to say that the
flourishing cooperation between Azerbaijan and Italy will
contribute not only to the economic and political development of
each country individually, but also to the entire region. Both
countries understand that the energy partnership will bring
stability and security to Europe.
The opportunities created today as a result of the successful,
multifaceted policy of President Ilham Aliyev are a ray of hope for
Europe. The way Azerbaijan implements its projects in the oil and
gas industry has always earned the country great respect from its
partners. However, more and more countries are showing a desire to
develop relations with Azerbaijan, and not only in the energy
sector. A number of strategic documents signed in recent years with
European partners confirm the importance of this policy direction.
Azerbaijan, being a leader among the countries of the South
Caucasus, is becoming more and more important not only for its
closest neighbors, but also for the entire continent.
Comments
No comment