BAKU — The
EU and
Azerbaijan on Monday
signed an agreement to double gas imports from the energy-rich Caspian nation
to Europe which seeks non-Russian suppliers after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
اضافة اعلان
Natural gas supplies have emerged as a weapon
between Russia and Europe since
President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine
on February 24.
On a visit to Baku, European Commission President
Ursula von der Leyen signed with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev a
memorandum on “a strategic partnership in the field of energy.”
In a few years, “we will double the supply of gas
from Azerbaijan to the EU” to compensate for cuts in supplies of Russian gas,
von der Leyen told a news conference alongside Aliyev.
“From next year on, we should already reach 12
billion cubic meters” per year, she said.
The agreement also provides for the expansion of the
Southern Gas Corridor running through Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and Greece —
“to 20 billion cubic meters per year in a few years.”
Last year, Azerbaijan sent to Europe 8.1 billion
cubic meters of natural gas.
Von der Leyen said Russian gas supplies to Europe
were not “reliable” even before the start of
Russia’s war on Ukraine and the EU
was turning to “more reliable suppliers”.
“I’m glad to count Azerbaijan among them.”
Aliyev praised the deal as a “road map for the
future,” saying the EU-Azerbaijan energy cooperation has already “changed the
energy map of Europe.”
‘Weaponization of energy supplies’
Ahead of von der Leyen’s
visit, the
European Commission said: “Amid Russia’s continued weaponization of
its energy supplies, diversification of our energy imports is a priority for
the EU.”
In May, EU leaders agreed to stop most Russian oil
imports by the end of the year, as part of unprecedented sanctions they slapped
on Moscow over the military action in Ukraine.
But the bloc put off an outright ban on Russian gas,
which in 2021 amounted to 155 billion cubic meters — nearly 40 percent of EU’s
needs.
Russia has
already begun reducing its gas deliveries to prevent
EU countries from
replenishing reserves, prompting the European Commission to prepare “a gas
demand reduction plan” to get through the next winter.
Under the deal, Azerbaijan will also tap into its
vast potential in renewable energy — such as offshore wind and green hydrogen —
to move away from overdependence on its role as a fossil fuel supplier.
Von der Leyen also called on Azerbaijan to join the Global
Methane Pledge — currently supported by 119 countries — “to be consistent with
our responsibilities on climate”.
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