Baku, Azerbaijan, April 16. The 11th
Ministerial Meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) Advisory
Council and the 3rd Ministerial Meeting of the Green Energy
Advisory Council, held in Baku on April 4, once again highlighted
Azerbaijan’s growing role as a reliable and strategically important
partner in Europe’s energy security.
These high-level gatherings served as key platforms for
discussing current and future cooperation in both traditional and
renewable energy, with a particular focus on Azerbaijan’s
contribution to diversifying energy sources and supply routes to
Europe.
European officials attending the meetings expressed strong
interest in increasing imports of Azerbaijani natural gas. The
rising demand reflects Azerbaijan’s solid track record as a
trustworthy supplier and its ability to respond swiftly to shifting
market dynamics.
Azerbaijan, for its part, reiterated its readiness to expand gas
exports, while emphasizing the importance of long-term contracts as
the foundation for stable and mutually beneficial partnerships.
Participants also reaffirmed the Southern Gas Corridor’s continued
importance as a vital route for Europe’s energy diversification. At
the same time, Azerbaijan’s role in the region’s green energy
transition is steadily gaining momentum.
Speaking at the event, President Ilham Aliyev underlined the
growing link between energy and national security, stating: “It is
clear today, more than ever before, that energy security is an
integral part of the national security of countries”.
“I would also say that today we can also talk about industrial
security, because in order to develop industries, we need energy
resources, we need petrochemicals, we need fertilizers. And
Azerbaijan is a producer and exporter of crude oil, natural gas,
oil products, petrochemicals, and fertilizers.
And our energy company, SOCAR, is involved in upstream,
downstream, and midstream activities in Azerbaijan and outside our
boundaries. Azerbaijan, for many years, was and will be a reliable
partner. And as high representatives of the European Commission
noted, Azerbaijan is a reliable partner in the field of energy and
a pan-European gas supplier. This is true. The geography of our gas
supply is growing. Since our last meeting here in Baku, at the 10th
Advisory Council, five more countries have become recipients of our
natural gas,” the head of state stated.
President Ilham Aliyev pointed out that the process of signing
long-term contracts is also important.
“Because we all know that energy projects — oil and gas — need a
lot of investments, and you recover investments over many years. By
the way, until today, what we invested in the Southern Gas Corridor
as a country has still not been recovered. We still have not
reached the zero balance. Therefore, we must be sure that our gas
will be needed in Europe, which is our main market, for many more
years. If we don’t have this guarantee, investors will not invest,
and the country will not invest. So there will be a big shortage of
natural gas. Our reserves are known.
We expect new production from new fields this year — primarily
from the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli Deep Gas Structure. And also, we
are, I think, in the final stage of reaching an agreement about the
expansion of production from the Absheron Field, moving to Phase 2,
which will add a minimum of 3 BCM to the existing 1.5,” said
President Ilham Aliyev.
As European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen
said in an exclusive interview with Trend, Azerbaijan and the EU
remain key energy partners for each other.
“In 2024, the EU imported around 11.7 bcm from Azerbaijan
through the Southern Gas Corridor, 44% more than in 2021.
Azerbaijani gas is reaching more and more customers across South
Eastern Europe. One of our main priorities is to continue to
implement the Strategic Energy Partnership with Azerbaijan. We are
facilitating discussions on the gas supply outlook, market demand,
and key gas infrastructure upgrades necessary, while, at the same
time, advancing the clean energy transition,” he said.
Bulgarian Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov, in turn, said that his
country is actively working on developing infrastructure to receive
additional volumes of gas from Azerbaijan.
He emphasized that Bulgaria has repeatedly expressed its
interest in increasing the volumes of natural gas supplied from
Azerbaijan.
“This is a leading factor for ensuring energy security not only
in Bulgaria but in the whole region of South-Eastern Europe. In the
context of the hostilities in Ukraine and the volatility of energy
prices, opportunities for new quantities from a strategic partner
like Azerbaijan become even more important. Therefore, we will
continue to work to secure supplies that will guarantee us security
and competitive gas prices,” noted Stankov.
The minister added that Azerbaijan plays a key role as a source
of natural gas supply diversification and in strengthening the
energy security of both Bulgaria and the broader Southeast European
region.
Moldovan Minister of Energy Dorin Junghietu, for his part, said
that Moldova is working to strengthen its energy independence by
expanding access to alternative supply routes, including through
partnerships promoted under the Southern Gas Corridor.
Junghietu noted that Moldova was the first country to make
commercial use of the Greece–Bulgaria Interconnector and among the
first to benefit from the initial LNG delivery via the
Alexandroupolis terminal in Greece.
“Natural gas will continue to play a crucial role in Moldova’s
energy mix. It is necessary for local generation and balancing
capacity for renewables. This is why we are particularly focused on
the vertical corridor as a key project for Moldova’s energy future.
The continued diversification of supply sources, including eventual
imports from Azerbaijan, will be critical in securing our energy
needs. Moldova appreciates Azerbaijan’s role as a reliable energy
partner and looks forward to strengthening bilateral energy
cooperation, as the relations between our countries are excellent,”
the minister said.
North Macedonia also emphasizes Azerbaijan’s increasing role in
ensuring reliable gas supplies to Europe.
Sanja Bozinovska, the country’s Minister of Energy, Mining, and
Minerals, stated that North Macedonia sees the Southern Gas
Corridor as a strategically important project for diversifying
natural gas supplies, enhancing energy security, and accelerating
the transition to a more sustainable energy system.
“North Macedonia is prepared to strengthen cooperation with
Azerbaijan and other partners in the Southern Gas Corridor and to
take concrete steps to ensure energy stability both at the national
and regional levels,” she said.
The minister highlighted that North Macedonia is firmly
committed to diversifying its gas supply sources, with Azerbaijan
playing a key role as a reliable supplier.
Boglárka Illés, Hungary’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
and Trade, also emphasized that Azerbaijan is a vital energy
partner for her country.
“In 2023, Hungary gained access to 100 million cubic meters of
Azerbaijani natural gas, with the potential for further increases
in imports. From a corporate standpoint, we support and encourage
further strengthening of cooperation between SOCAR and MVM,” she
said.
Meanwhile, Luca Schieppati, Managing Director of the Trans
Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) consortium, shared that the necessary work
for the first phase of TAP’s expansion is progressing without
delays.
Schieppati believes TAP can further enhance Europe’s energy
security and contribute to decarbonization by gradually expanding
its current capacity of 10 billion cubic meters per year.
He explained that the initial long-term capacity of TAP, which
stands at 10 billion cubic meters annually, was allocated to
shippers based on long-term transportation contracts signed in 2013
for 25 years, ensuring investment in the project.
“However, TAP can make an even greater contribution to Europe’s
energy security and decarbonization goals by gradually increasing
the pipeline’s capacity. Additional TAP capacity is being offered
to the market as part of regular market tests held every two years,
provided there’s interest from the market. In the 2021 market test,
completed in January 2024, binding requests were received that will
allow the pipeline’s capacity to be increased by 1.2 billion cubic
meters per year by early 2026. The necessary work for the first
phase of the expansion is moving forward on schedule,” Schieppati
noted.
He added that the first phase of expansion could lay the
foundation for further capacity increases, which could occur
gradually through participation in future market tests.
In this way, Azerbaijan continues to strengthen its position in
the European energy market as a reliable, predictable, and
long-term partner. As global instability rises and the need for
supply diversification grows, European countries are increasingly
turning to Azerbaijan as a stable, sustainable, and mutually
beneficial energy source.
Azerbaijan’s commitment to energy solidarity is evident in its
efforts to expand export routes, modernize infrastructure, and
increase supply volumes. The country’s growing energy dialogue with
Europe reflects both bilateral and multilateral cooperation,
contributing to the development of a collective energy security
framework.
Moreover, Azerbaijan is not limited to traditional energy
sources. The transition to a “green” economy has become a national
priority. Through active partnerships in renewable energy and
large-scale solar and wind projects, Azerbaijan is showcasing its
commitment to sustainable development and playing a key role in the
global fight against climate change.
This balanced approach – combining traditional energy with
investments in green transformation – makes Azerbaijan a crucial
component in the European energy landscape, both now and in the
future.