Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) EU and Azerbaijan signed a new memorandum of understanding on energy partnership in Baku.
EC President Ursula von der Leyen signed the memorandum with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov, the Commission noted in a statement on Monday.
The bloc is in negotiations with Azerbaijan on a new cooperation agreement on investments, trade, economic diversification and more.
Talks are to continue in Brussels this month, with the two sides to review bilateral relations and discuss new areas for cooperation.
Speaking in Baku, von der Leyen pointed out that the new memorandum opens doors to closer cooperation between the bloc and Azerbaijan, stressing that it will help the EU to wean itself off Russian energy imports.
“Not only are we looking to strengthen our existing partnership which guarantees stable and reliable gas supplies to the EU via the Southern Gas Corridor… we are also laying the foundations of a long-term partnership on energy efficiency and clean energy, as we both pursue the objectives of the Paris Agreement,” she noted.
Von der Leyen added that energy “is only one of the areas where we can enhance our cooperation” and concluded that she looks forward to closer cooperation in the future.
Gas pipeline to be expanded
According to the new memorandum, the two sides will commit to doubling the capacity of the Southern Gas Corridor by 2027, enabling the pipeline to deliver upwards of 20 billion cubic metres of natural gas to the EU.
Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy, pointed out that the memorandum highlights the importance of the Southern Gas Corridor for EU’s efforts aimed at diversification of energy supply.
“Azerbaijan has already increased the natural gas deliveries to the EU and this trend will continue, with up to 4 billion cubic meters of additional gas this year and volumes expected to more than double by 2027,” she noted.
The EC pointed out that the EU and Azerbaijan want to speed up the green push and added that the move will allow both sides to “reap the synergies between the EU’s clean energy transition and Azerbaijan’s strong untapped renewable energy potential, in particular in the offshore energy sector.”
