Azerbaijan has the capacity to increase natural gas supplies to Europe, but the European Union must revise financing and procedural mechanisms for the necessary projects, Azerbaijani officials said. The Czech Republic separately expressed interest in Azerbaijani gas as it seeks to diversify imports.
Energy cooperation was a central topic in President Ilham Aliyev’s Nov. 12 meetings with the prime ministers of Greece and the Czech Republic on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Dublin, Vesti Baku reported.
Greece and the TAP Pipeline
During talks with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the two sides emphasized the importance of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, or TAP, and Azerbaijan’s contribution to European energy security.
They said Baku could expand exports of energy resources, particularly natural gas, if the EU changes existing financing mechanisms and procedures for such projects.
No specific volume of additional gas, delivery schedule or new contract was announced after the meeting.
Czech Republic Seeks More Supply Options
Aliyev and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš also discussed trade, investment projects and reciprocal visits by business delegations.
The two sides noted that Azerbaijan is already the Czech Republic’s largest oil supplier.
Babiš said earlier the same day that Prague was also interested in Azerbaijani gas as it seeks to broaden its energy supply sources and reduce dependence on a limited group of suppliers.