Azerbaijan Urges To Reject Approaches Deepening Energy Dilemma

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 3. Approaches deepening the energy dilemma must be rejected, Azerbaijan's Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov said at the 12th meeting of the Ministers of the Advisory Council on the Southern Gas Corridor and the 4th meeting of the Ministers of the Advisory Council on Green Energy being held in Baku, Trend reports.

According to him, of the 25.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas exported last year, about 51% went to Europe, while the remaining 49% went to Türkiye, Georgia, and Syria. This shows that if the real support provided to the first phase of the Southern Gas Corridor had been extended to the subsequent phases, doubling gas supplies to Europe would have become a reality today.

The minister stressed that Azerbaijan is a reliable supplier to Europe and that demand for Azerbaijani gas remains high.

"However, the institutional and financial support from the demand side for expansion is still insufficient. Energy security cannot rest solely with the supplier. We are advancing four upstream projects scheduled for commissioning between 2026 and 2029. This year, the first natural gas is expected to be produced from the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli field. In addition, four new exploration projects are being implemented onshore and offshore," he explained.

Shahbazov noted that the participation of the United Arab Emirates as a shareholder in the Southern Gas Corridor is also an important positive development:

"However, despite such positive developments, a clear and long-term policy framework, supported by specific financial mechanisms, is required to significantly increase gas volumes to Europe. Hydrocarbons still occupy a significant place in global energy supply, while renewable energy faces network constraints. Therefore, we must abandon approaches that deepen the energy dilemma and adopt a realistic, investment-based strategy for natural gas," he added.

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