(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 18. The EU and Ukraine
need even more Azerbaijani gas, and Baku is ready to strengthen the
energy security of its partners, Trend reports.
Energy security and diversification of energy supply sources are
among the key priorities of the EU, especially in the context of
growing demand and geopolitical instability.
In this regard, Azerbaijan acts as an important partner,
offering its significant natural gas reserves to meet Europe's
energy needs.
Azerbaijan is exclusively focused on ensuring energy security
and stability, operating within the requests and needs of its
European partners.
As President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev stated at the opening of
the 29th Caspian Oil & Gas Exhibition and the 12th Caspian Power
Exhibition as part of Baku Energy Week on June 4, eight countries
are receiving Azerbaijani gas.
"Azerbaijan already proved itself as a reliable partner. The
European Commission at the regular Advisory Council of the Southern
Gas Corridor, which was held several months ago, named Azerbaijan
as a pan-European gas supplier, and this is true. Six out of eight
countries that are recipients of our natural gas are European
countries. Of course, the geography of our supply will definitely
grow. We are now in the active phase of negotiations with several
more countries that need Azerbaijani gas in order to provide energy
security.
As we've said many times, you cannot separate national security
from energy security. The countries which depend on imports, of
course, look for the most reliable and long-term partners and
contracts. They find exactly that here in Azerbaijan. Our word has
the same value as our signature. All the contracts, which have been
signed during the last 30 years, have been implemented completely.
All of them pass through parliament ratification and are then
signed into law. So not a single word is changed. This is the trust
you build for decades," the head of state said.
Azerbaijan has always expressed its readiness to lend a helping
hand at the request of its European partners to contribute to the
continent's energy security.
Europe is considering the possibility of supplying Azerbaijani
gas through Ukraine.
Ukraine has announced that it will not extend the five-year
agreement with Russia's Gazprom.
The former main recipients of gas through Ukraine are Austria,
Slovakia, Italy, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, and Moldova.
Austria still receives most of its gas through Ukraine, while
other countries have diversified their sources and taken steps to
reduce demand.
European officials and government representatives are
negotiating with the Ukrainian side to extend the agreement on the
transit of Russian gas through Ukraine to 2025.
One of the options under discussion is purchasing gas from
Azerbaijan and transporting it through Russian pipelines via
Ukraine.
These events have been accompanied by Western media speculation
that the initiative allegedly comes from Azerbaijan.
However, in reality, Ukraine and the EU are actively promoting
this plan.
Ukraine is interested in maintaining gas transit through its
territory, which brings significant income and strengthens its
position in the European energy system, while the EU is looking for
ways to diversify gas supplies to avoid potential risks to energy
security.
Stable gas supplies are vital for countries like Slovakia and
Austria, as they risk remaining without sufficient volumes of gas
if the transit agreement through Ukraine is not extended.
Purchasing gas from Azerbaijan and transporting it through
Ukraine represents a strategic solution that will help avoid
possible supply disruptions.
The idea of supplying Azerbaijani gas to Ukraine has a long
history and has been discussed at various levels long before the
current events.
In January 2020, at a meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental
Commission on Economic Cooperation, chaired by Azerbaijan's Energy
Minister Parviz Shahbazov and Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister
Vladyslav Kryklii, options for connecting Ukraine to the Southern
Gas Corridor were discussed.
The Energy Ministry of Azerbaijan then pointed out that Ukraine
is interested in diversifying routes and sources of natural gas
supplies.
"Ukraine will be able to purchase gas from Azerbaijan within the
framework of the second and third phases of the pipeline's capacity
expansion. In addition, we are interested in expanding cooperation
on crude oil supply issues and are ready to consider the
possibility of LNG supplies from Azerbaijan to Ukraine," the
ministry said.
Overall, when the idea of building the Southern Gas Corridor
(SGC) was born, the main goal was to diversify supplies by
connecting European countries to the Caspian energy resources.
This infrastructure has proven its importance during the most
challenging period of the energy crisis in Europe.
It is no coincidence that in July 2022, the EU signed a
memorandum with Azerbaijan to double the capacity of the SGC.
The first steps in this direction have already been taken.
The Trans Adriatic Pipeline, which is the European part of the
SGC, will provide an additional 1.2 billion cubic meters of gas per
year by December 31, 2025.
The system's annual capacity is expected to increase to 20
billion cubic meters by 2027.
The demand for Azerbaijani gas is rapidly growing in the context
of Europe's acute energy crisis.
Azerbaijan always acts within the requests and needs of its
European partners.
All gas supply activities are aimed at maintaining stability and
ensuring Europe's energy security.
This is emphasized by numerous statements from Azerbaijani
officials, who underscore the country's readiness to meet the
growing needs of the European market.
Azerbaijan does not view its gas supplies as a tool for leverage
or competition with other energy sources, but, on the contrary, the
main goal is to ensure stability and security of energy supply for
European countries.
Negotiations on extending the gas transit agreement through
Ukraine and discussing options for purchasing gas from Azerbaijan
highlight the complexity and multi-layered nature of modern
European energy policy.
Despite various interpretations in Western media, the initiative
to ensure additional gas supplies through Ukrainian pipelines comes
from Ukraine and the EU, which seek to strengthen the region's
energy security.
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