(MENAFN- AzerNews) On March 1, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev
was interviewed by Euronews TV channel as part of the 10th Southern
Gas Corridor Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting and the 2nd Green
Energy Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting.
Azernews presents the interview.
Euronews: If you could please begin by telling
me why are today's meetings so important for the energy industry,
the achievements and next steps in successful operation and
development of the Southern Gas Corridor?
President Ilham Aliyev: You know, when we
started this project, there were a lot of different ideas, how it
would succeed. There were optimists and pessimists, and also those
who thought that we would not be able to implement it. But we were
committed, and we knew that it is possible to do it. But we needed
a broad international cooperation. So, we started to build this
partnership between countries, between companies, inviting leading
international financial institutions to support us with their
financing. And a 3500-kilometer-long pipeline is now a reality. It
is not a dream any longer. And it is embracing more and more
countries, because, as I said today at the opening session, we have
new interconnectors, which allow to transport natural gas to new
destinations. And really, it's changing completely the geography of
energy supplies, issues related to energy security. And when you
see good results of the initiative, which we launched 10 years ago,
of course, you always must feel happy.
Euronews: It's a very pivotal year as well.
COP29 is on the horizon. And the development of these renewable
energy projects really showcase how Azerbaijan is trailblazing the
future of sustainable energy.
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, I think this is
part of our overall green agenda and our feeling of responsibility,
because the country rich with fossil fuel should be among the
frontrunners in green transition. We do it not because we lack
traditional resources, but because we want to contribute using the
financing, using the revenues, which we get from oil and gas sales,
to invest in renewables and to create a common understanding about
the need for that. We see it here in Baku every year. Every year,
we see how the Caspian Sea is becoming shallower. Everybody who
lives by the seaside sees it, even here in the center of Baku. So,
we see the implication and dangerous implication of the climate
change. Less water in our rivers, less snow in our mountains, less
water in the Caspian Sea. And if we don't address this issue with
passion and with the commitment, then all of us will suffer.
So, renewable projects agenda of Azerbaijan is very ambitious.
The Caspian Sea potential of Azerbaijan is 157 gigawatt, which is
based on the assessment of International Finance Corporation. And
we already started this important journey. And we plan to use
renewables maybe in the 10-year time at the maximum degree and
reduce the consumption of natural gas domestically.
Euronews: I liked in your speech inside, you
said the countries who have oil and gas should not be blamed. When
we talk about fossil fuels, that's not their fault but they should
be judged on these views and said they should be judged on how they
address environmental protection and green transitions. Do you
truly believe this, yes?
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, of course. This is
how we need to change a little bit the narrative about that because
being a country with fossil fuel, of course, is not our fault. It's
our, I think, achievement that we managed to avoid a so-called oil
curse that many countries with oil and gas reserves have faced. We
transformed oil into development. We managed to provide a fair
distribution of wealth. We reduced poverty in Azerbaijan during the
last 20 years from 50% to 5%. And all what you see here in Baku is
absolutely new development of infrastructure and improvement of
living conditions of the people. So, the narrative now,
unfortunately, is that fossil fuel is something dangerous, which is
bad, and the countries having these resources must be blamed for
that. My message was that judge us by what we do, how we treat it,
how we use revenues in order to address the needs of the people and
stimulate the green agenda. I hope my message will be heard.
Euronews: Mr. President, Your Excellency, thank
you so much for your time.
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