This article is part of the year recap series, where we publish that defined the news cycle in Azerbaijan during 2022. It was originally published on 19 July 2022.
On July 18, a Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Partnership in the field of energy was signed between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the European Union by its representatives Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Ursula von der Leyen.
After the signing ceremony, Ursula von der Leyen affirmed that the document will further strengthen cooperation in the field of energy. According to her, the European Union will initially double the gas export from Azerbaijan through the expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor:
“This project is already very important for Brussels. Every year, we transfer 8 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe, and in the coming years we will increase its volume to 20 billion cubic meters. Next year, we will increase the volume to 12 billion cubic meters, and this will contribute to compensating the gas cut from Russia and will make a significant contribution to Europe’s energy supply”, von der Leyen added.
The memorandum also makes reference to renewable energy, with Azerbaijan supplying Europe with wind and green hydrogen generated energy as new form of cooperation in this field.
Likewise, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called the memorandum a kind of “road map” for the future and praised the potential of his country in helping the EU achieving its supply.
“We already see the positive benefits of cooperation. Energy security issues are more important today than ever. The long-term, predictable and very reliable cooperation in the field of energy between the European Union and Azerbaijan is, of course, a great asset”, he predicts.
Read more about this topic in this article:
Azerbaijan asks Europe for gas export guarantee (9 November 2022)
