WUF13: Azerbaijan eyes deeper economic ties with Poland

Azerbaijan's ambassador to Poland Nargiz Gurbanova says the country sees strong potential for closer economic cooperation with Warsaw, spanning green technology, agriculture and energy.

Gurbanova made the remarks at the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13), the UN's flagship urban policy event held every two years, which opened in the Azerbaijani capital Baku on May 18 and runs until May 22, Caliber.Az reports via Polskie Radio.

Speaking with the Polish news agency PAP, the ambassador said the conference presented an opportunity to strengthen bilateral economic ties. She named Poland's GreenEvo program, which promotes Polish environmental technologies, as a strong basis for partnership.

Azerbaijan is currently pursuing large-scale green transition and smart city projects,  Gurbanova said, and believes Polish innovations could contribute to those efforts.

Azerbaijani institutions have already reviewed a list of Polish green technology firms shared through the GreenEvo framework, and work on establishing cooperation with a selected group has begun.

The ambassador pointed to last October's Polish-Azerbaijani Economic Forum in Warsaw, held alongside an intergovernmental commission meeting, as a sign of growing momentum.

On energy, Gurbanova noted that Azerbaijan exports more than 25 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually to 16 countries, including 10 EU member states.

Under an EU-Azerbaijan strategic energy partnership, gas exports to Europe are expected to rise to around 20 billion cubic meters a year by 2027. She said this offered Poland opportunities for energy import diversification.

Beyond gas, Azerbaijan is also developing a Caspian-Black Sea-Europe Green Energy Corridor, estimated at USD 2 billion, aimed at exporting renewable energy to European markets.