AZE.US
President Ilham Aliyev said Azerbaijan supplies natural gas to 16 countries and could become even more important to global energy routes after the Hormuz crisis prompts governments to reconsider how resources are delivered.
Speaking in an interview with Euronews, Aliyev said Azerbaijan’s energy cooperation with Europe has accelerated since the Southern Gas Corridor became operational in 2020.
Azerbaijani gas is now exported to 16 countries, including 10 European Union member states. In total, 12 European countries receive gas from Azerbaijan, Aliyev said.
He said Azerbaijan ranks first globally by the number of countries to which it supplies gas through pipelines.
Aliyev also said interest in cooperation with Baku is growing. Azerbaijan, he said, had completed its “homework” in time on pipeline infrastructure and production. He added that an announcement on the start of gas production from a new field is expected soon, likely early next month.
Asked about the Hormuz crisis, Aliyev said it does not seriously affect Azerbaijan from the standpoint of supply chains. He said Baku’s policy of diversifying energy routes is not new but has been pursued for many years.
Azerbaijan, together with partners and neighboring countries, has built a diversified system for oil, gas, electricity and transport connectivity, he said.
Aliyev acknowledged, however, that instability in the Middle East affects everyone to some degree. Higher oil prices can benefit producing countries, but market volatility can also hurt their investments in bonds and equities.
He said Azerbaijan remains in a secure position when it comes to its own energy projects. That position, he argued, is the result of long-term diplomacy, cooperation with neighbors and the development of routes that create benefits for producers, transit countries and consumers.
After the crisis is resolved, Aliyev said, many countries are likely to reassess their energy policies and delivery routes. In that environment, Azerbaijan’s geography and resources may be in higher demand than they are today.
The interview also covered Baku’s hosting of WUF13, the reconstruction of Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur, and Azerbaijan’s “smart city” and “smart village” projects.
Aliyev said 85,000 people have returned to the liberated territories over the past five years. He also cited 307 megawatts of hydropower capacity already commissioned, 340 megawatts of solar power projects under construction, 70 kilometers of tunnels already in use out of a planned 75 kilometers, and 435 bridges built out of 500.
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