Priorities of energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and EU were discussed

Parviz Shahbazov, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Energy, met with Gert Jan Koopman, EU Director-General of Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG ENEST).

During the meeting, discussions focused on the key priorities of energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union. The sides hailed the fact that Azerbaijan's gas exports to the EU increased by more than 57% during 2021-2024. The parties emphasized the importance of investing in the expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor and securing long-term contracts. The side also reviewed the EU policies on financing gas projects.

Gert Jan Koopman expressed keen interest in collaborating with Azerbaijan within the context of the Middle Corridor, particularly in the Caspian-Black Sea-Europe Green Energy Corridor project. During the conversation, information was provided about the feasibility project that is currently at the feasibility phase, the processes carried out for the inclusion of the European network of Electricity Transmission System operators (ENTSO-E) in the 10-year development plan (TYNDP), the fiber-optic component of the corridor along with electricity, as well as the supply opportunities of green energy at the next stage. The meeting also underscored the potential integration of this corridor with the Central Asia-Azerbaijan Green Energy Corridor.  Minister Parviz Shahbazov underlined that the project could connect Central Asia to Europe through Azerbaijan, enabling large-scale energy exports from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to Europe and contributing to the diversification of energy resources in the EU.

The sides also exchanged views on convening the third meeting of the Azerbaijan-EU energy dialogue.