Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov: Our victory resulting military capitulation of Armenia will ensure the security of our energy projects

Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov took part at the 22nd Ministerial Meeting of the  Gas Exporting Countries Forum in an online format. Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan Parviz Shahbazov also made a speech at the event, along with Algerian Energy Minister, moderator of Forum Abdelmadjid Attar, GECF Secretary General Yury Sentyurin and other ministers.

The speech covered topics such as the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic on the world's energy sector and natural gas industry, climate change and the use of hydrogen energy, and the important role of natural gas as a low-carbon energy source in energy transformation. It was noted that the transnational projects implemented within our country's energy policy serve energy security, stability, international cooperation and development, and the Southern Gas Corridor is a clear example of this. It was noted that this pipeline, which will open in the near future and deliver Azerbaijani gas to European consumers, allow diversifying the sources of supplies:"The Southern Europe will be connected to the Caspian region directly for the first time, showcasing the integration, development and strengthening of energy security of continents, regions, and countries around the 3,500-kilometer strip". 

Parviz Shahbazov also touched upon the issue of turning the oil and gas supplies to European and other consumers into the target of military agression by the Republic of Armenia. The Minister brought to the attention that Armenia bombed the points located precisely over the energy corridors from Azerbaijan to Europe, attempts have been made to hit the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline, the South Caucasus Pipeline, the Western Export Pipeline, the Baku-Novorossiysk oil pipeline which is an important energy link between Azerbaijan and Russia, as well as the largest thermal and hydroelectric power plants in Azerbaijan, and high-ranking Armenian officials have also declared their intention to destroy Sangachal oil and gas terminal. “All these acts of destructive intent and purposeful vandalism have shown that stability in the global energy and gas market requires conflict free geopolitical environment. The fact that Azerbaijan's ending the 30 years long conflict by historian justice and its territorial integrity in accordance with the international law also serves this supreme goal.  In this regard military capitulation of Armenia  resulting the liberation of our territories from occupation will also ensure the security and reliability of our regional and global energy projects", the Minister added 

The 22nd Ministerial Meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum continued its work in two sessions.

It should be reminded that the Gas Exporting Countries Forum was established at first Ministerial Meeting in Tehran on 19-20 May 2001, attended by representatives of Algeria, Brunei, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Turkmenistan and Norway, and the organisation acquired the international status at the 7th Ministerial Meeting in Moscow, Russian Federation on 23 December 2008.