President: Azerbaijan key bridge between East, West, boosting gas supplies to Europe

During his official visit to Slovakia, President Ilham Aliyev highlighted the deepening strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Slovakia, emphasizing the country’s growing role as a reliable energy supplier to Europe and a key hub in regional transport and connectivity. Speaking alongside Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, Aliyev outlined plans to expand infrastructure, enhance the East-West transport corridor, and leverage Azerbaijan’s substantial energy potential to support regional development and technological innovation.

“The talks held during this visit demonstrate that Slovakia and Azerbaijan are truly friendly countries and strategic partners,” President Aliyev said during a joint press statement with his Slovak counterpart Peter Pellegrini, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

He recalled that last year, the two countries signed the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership, a landmark document that “elevated bilateral relations to the highest level. Since its signing, we have witnessed very active cooperation across all areas.”

President Aliyev also underscored Azerbaijan’s growing role as a reliable energy supplier in Europe. “The number of countries receiving Azerbaijani gas has reached 14, and as a supplier via pipelines, we rank first,” he noted. “The development of new gas fields will provide additional resources, enabling the supply of Azerbaijani gas to Slovakia and its neighboring countries in even larger volumes.”

Highlighting Azerbaijan’s strategic geographic position, Aliyev stated, “Azerbaijan defined its foreign policy priorities long ago. Today, we also serve as a bridge between East and West. The investments we have made in infrastructure, connectivity, and the transport sector enable Azerbaijan to become a key segment of the East-West transport corridor. We actively participate in the Middle Corridor project. The most reliable and secure route connecting Central Asia to Europe passes through Azerbaijan.”

To further strengthen regional transport and logistics capabilities, the Azerbaijani president announced plans for additional investment: “We will expand our capabilities by investing additional funds in connectivity and the transport sector. I believe this area should not be overlooked in the development of relations between Slovakia and Azerbaijan, as it holds tremendous potential.”

Azerbaijan’s substantial energy resources were also highlighted as a cornerstone of its strategic influence. “Azerbaijan’s advantage is that we have a considerably large energy potential,” Aliyev explained. He noted that the country’s currently unused energy capacity stands at approximately two gigawatts and is projected to reach eight gigawatts within the next five years. “Of course, an energy source is one of the main factors for the operation of artificial intelligence and data centres,” he added.

By Vafa Guliyeva