Moscow, Oct 2 (EFE) .- Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev said today that he was willing to negotiate with Europe the supply of additional gas through the Southern Gas Corridor for next year, at a time when the reserves of Gas in the Old Continent are at minimum levels and prices reach record figures.
“The gas that we send to European consumers has already been contracted, we have already sold it. Therefore, if there were additional demand we would have to start negotiations. Because first we have to sell the gas and then extract it,” the president told Efe in a videoconference interview from Baku.
Azerbaijan began supplying gas to Europe through the Southern Gas Corridor on December 31, 2020, and since then “the profile of our exports has been growing,” said Aliev.
“We have been a reliable supplier of oil to the European market for many years, without any interruption, and now, as a reliable supplier of natural gas, we are playing our role,” he said.
The head of state stressed that Azerbaijani gas “is cheaper than other gas and comes from a new source.”
The pipeline transports natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz II field, in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, to southern and eastern Europe through the Caucasus and Turkey, and this year more than 5 billion cubic meters of gas will reach the Old Continent through this gas infrastructure.
“The importance of the Southern Gas Corridor is not only because it supposes additional gas, but also because it is an alternative source. And this is an energy security issue,” emphasized Aliev.
“The potential is really great. The pipeline is up and running. In the future, we will be able to expand the geography of supplies to Europe, the Balkans and some other Eastern European countries. And that will be good for consumers, for us, for companies, for everyone. For energy security, “he insisted.
The president stressed that Azerbaijan’s natural gas reserve deposits are 2.6 trillion cubic meters, enough to cover national consumption and exports for at least 100 years.
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