5th Azerbaijan-Türkiye Energy Forum was held in Baku

The 5th Azerbaijan-Türkiye Energy Forum was held in Baku under the co-chairmanship of Azerbaijan’s Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov and Türkiye’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar.

Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov stated that at a new stage in which Azerbaijan-Türkiye relations have risen to the level of strategic alliance, energy cooperation is advancing in the areas of national and regional energy security, diversification of energy flows, integration of power systems, and strengthening of energy connectivity. It was noted that under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the energy partnership has achieved significant results during this period. The commissioning of the Ighdir-Nakhchivan gas pipeline, Türkiye Petrolleri’s participation in the Shafag-Asiman project, the agreement on the export to Türkiye of a portion of the gas to be produced from the Absheron field, the transportation of Azerbaijani gas via Türkiye to new European markets and Syria, as well as SOCAR’s new investments, including the acquisition of an 870 MW power plant in Türkiye, were highlighted as indicators of the expanding scope of cooperation. It was reported that, to date, a total of 561 million tonnes of oil and 196 bcm of gas have been supplied from Azerbaijan to Türkiye and, via Türkiye, to international markets through the existing oil and gas infrastructure. The volume of Azerbaijani gas transported to Türkiye has reached 130 bcm, of which 40 bcm was supplied through TANAP. In the first eight months of this year alone, Türkiye was supplied with 6.2 bcm of Azerbaijani gas, European countries received 7.5 bcm via Türkiye, and Syria received 1 bcm.

In his remarks, electricity and green energy corridors were particularly highlighted as the next strategic direction of energy cooperation: “As digitalisation accelerates the green transformation, artificial intelligence, data centres and expanding electrification are creating new demands on energy systems. Electricity is becoming one of the key strategic resources for economic development, digital transformation and energy security. This reality requires not only new generation capacity, but also stronger grids, energy storage systems and new electricity interconnections linking countries and regions. This process also opens up new strategic horizons for the Azerbaijan-Türkiye energy partnership. By expanding the energy links between East and West that we have created through oil and gas projects to include electricity and green energy corridors, the delivery of green energy from the Caspian region and Central Asia to Europe via Azerbaijan and Türkiye offers prospects that will strengthen the strategic role of our countries in reshaping Eurasia’s energy map.”

It was noted that the participation of Turkish companies in the green energy sector of Azerbaijan is expanding. Given the increasingly close interconnection between the energy transition, digitalisation and artificial intelligence, the importance of strengthening cooperation in this area within the framework of the Azerbaijan-Türkiye Energy Forum was emphasised. It was also stated that Azerbaijan stands ready to support brotherly Türkiye as the host of COP31.

Türkiye’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar stated that the relations between the two countries go beyond ordinary neighbourhood relations or commercial partnership: “Our cooperation is based on unshakable brotherhood, mutual trust and historic achievements. This Forum is a strategic platform through which, guided by the motto One nation, two states, we translate our shared future into concrete projects. We view the projects involving Nakhchivan, as well as those bringing together Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Bulgaria, not merely as infrastructure projects, but as strategic steps laying the foundation for long-term regional energy cooperation.”

The Forum also featured remarks by SOCAR President Rovshan Najaf, Chairman of the Management Board of Azerenerji OJSC Baba Rzayev, BOTAŞ General Manager Abdulvahit Fidan, General Manager of TPAO Cem Erdem, and General Manager of the Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEİAŞ) Mustafa Pustu.

At the end, the Protocol of the 5th Türkiye-Azerbaijan Energy Forum was signed.