(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 18. The Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), one of the most strategically important energy networks in the world, will strengthen Azerbaijan's role as a key connector in Eurasia as Europe seeks to increase gas supplies, the former president of Alyeska Pipeline Service, senior research fellow, and director of the U.S. Energy Security Initiative, Brigham McCown, said, Trend reports.

He made the remark at the First Azerbaijan-US Think Tank Forum in Baku.

Brigham McCown emphasized that Azerbaijan is a country capable of being a producer, transit link, and connector at the same time. “I believe that there are few such countries, and even fewer countries can claim to influence the economic geography of such diverse regions as Central Asia, the South Caucasus, Türkiye, and Europe. Azerbaijan can do all this, and, importantly, it is doing it more and more successfully,” the expert said.

He paid particular attention to the SGC, calling it a model of transparent, commercially managed multilateral cooperation that is in line with U.S. interests. McCown noted that the U.S. has consistently supported the corridor because it provides diversification of supply, predictability, reliability, and rules-based investment.

​McCown emphasized that as Europe seeks to increase gas supplies via the SGC by approximately 20 billion cubic feet by 2027, the strategic importance of this corridor and Azerbaijan's role will only grow.

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