EU eyes stronger ties with Azerbaijan for energy security, green transition

The European Union views Azerbaijan as a key energy supplier, with the European Commission aiming to strengthen ties after ministerial meetings of the Southern Gas Corridor and Green Energy Advisory Councils in Baku this April.

A spokesperson for the EU stated that the union is looking forward to continued collaboration with Azerbaijan in bolstering energy supply security, particularly in light of the EU’s RePowerEU programme, which aims to transition away from Russian fossil fuels by 2030, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

In recent days, Brussels hosted the first meeting of a Task Force, created by the European Commission and Slovakia, to address issues surrounding gas supply. The meeting featured Cristina Lobillo Borrero, Director-General for Energy at the European Commission, and Denisa Saková, Slovakia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy. Azerbaijan's delegation, led by Deputy Minister of Energy Orkhan Zeynalov, was also present.

The EU official highlighted that the meeting was part of regular contacts between the EU and its energy partners, noting discussions covered a wide range of topics, including follow-up actions from the COP29 climate conference, the development of regional green energy corridors, ongoing and potential new energy supplies to Europe, and preparations for the upcoming SGC and Green Energy Advisory Councils in April.

The EU continues to implement the Strategic Partnership Agreement with Azerbaijan, actively engaging in the definition and discussion of key gas infrastructure projects necessary to double the capacity of the Southern Gas Corridor.

At the same time, discussions are centred around the development of new regional green energy corridors to enable the transition to energy systems based on clean, renewable sources, in line with the EU’s REPowerEU goals.

By Aghakazim Guliyev