The energy map of Europe is being reconfigured. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding on a strategic partnership in the field of energy in Baku, IPN reports, quoting Azertag.
The document provides that the Southern Gas Corridor will be expanded and the supply of gas from Azerbaijan to the European Union will be doubled. The capacity of this will be expanded to 20 billion cubic meters in a few years, up from more than 8 billion cubic meters of gas per year at present. The Azerbaijani gas imports will already increase to 12 billion next year.
According to Ursula von der Leyen, this will help compensate for cuts in supplies of Russian gas and contribute significantly to Europe’s security of supply, as Reuters reported.
For his part, 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.”
The document stipulates that the EU can offer Azerbaijan purchase schemes on aggregate demand, for example through the EU’s Energy Platform. IPN related that the Republic of Moldova is connected to the EU’s common platform and also to the dialogue with the Azeri side.
Recently, D eputy Prime Minister Andrei Spînu, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development, said that the discussions with Azerbaijan continued so as to create the possibility of buying natural gas from this country. “It is important that different Azeri and Romanian energy projects are being considered. The equation also includes the Iasi – Ungheni – Chisinau gas pipeline, which is a Romanian investment in the Republic of Moldova that should be put to good use,” stated the official.
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