Press statement of Co-Chairs Parviz Shahbazov, minister of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Kadri Simson, EU Commissioner for Energy

The Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council 9th Ministerial Meeting and The Green Energy Advisory Council 1st Ministerial Meeting

Press statement of Co-Chairs Parviz Shahbazov, Minister of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Kadri Simson, EU Commissioner for Energy

Baku, February 03, 2023

The 9^th Ministerial meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council and the first Green Energy Advisory Council meeting held on 3 February in Baku reaffirmed the strategic energy partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the European Union. The partnership serves common goals such as long term energy security, sustainability, diversification of supply, and expanding cooperation on the energy transition agenda.

The co-chairs of the meeting welcomed the full-scale operation of the Southern Gas Corridor and its contribution to securing reliable, competitive, and affordable energy supply from the Republic of Azerbaijan to Europe.

The successful commissioning of the Greece-Bulgaria Interconnector is another important development which will further support diversification of supplies in Europe. The co-chairs expressed their support for the expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor, indicating that it would offer a potential supply source for new energy markets. The co-chairs also acknowledge the importance of taking necessary steps to reduce methane emissions across supply chains.

The Green Energy Advisory Council Ministerial meeting, held for the first time, creates an excellent opportunity for partner countries, financial institutions, and companies to have productive discussions on expanding cooperation on the green agenda. This platform will contribute to creating international green energy linkages and turning Azerbaijan into a green energy supplier for European markets.

The "Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership in the Field of Energy between the European Union represented by the European Commission and the Republic of Azerbaijan" signed in Baku on July 18, 2022, along with the expansion of existing cooperation in the fields of energy transition, renewable energy, energy efficiency and renewable hydrogen will pave the way for new opportunities for enhanced development of our partnership. We note also the importance of the "Agreement on strategic partnership in the field of green energy development and transmission between the governments of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary" signed in Bucharest on 17 December 2022.

The co-chairs stressed their determination to continue the effective dialogue, which contributes to strengthening their energy security and their joint action against climate change.