Azerbaijan to expand geography of gas supplies abroad as production increases - President Aliyev

BAKU. Jan 18 (Interfax) - Azerbaijan will expand the geography of gas supplies with the increase of its production, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.

"We completed the construction of the Southern Gas Corridor two years ago, which stretches 3,500 kilometers from Baku to southern Europe. Part of it goes under the sea, and part of it goes through high mountains. It's a complicated, technically challenging, and expensive project that spans seven countries. More than ten companies and leading financial institutions [...] contributed to that. [...] And now, when all these infrastructure projects are ready, it happens that our gas is needed more than ever before," Aliyev said in an interview with China's CGTN television channel.

Europe is currently experiencing a gas shortage, "and our pipeline to Europe is one of the elements of our contribution to energy security," he said.

"Last year, we signed a document with the European Commission to increase our gas exports to the European market by two times [to 20 billion cubic meters]. And we will achieve that target within five years. It is doable, though it will not be easy. So, Azerbaijan, of course, is not a very big supplier of natural gas, but we have our market in Eastern and Southern Europe. And the more gas we produce in the future, the more we will expand our geography," Aliyev said.

In the energy policy, Azerbaijan will maintain a balance between producers, transit countries, and consumers, he said. "If there is no balance, it will not work. Each part of the energy process must get its share of profit. Of course, this is dependent on contributions. It must be fair, and we have always been fair," the Azerbaijani president said.

As reported, Azerbaijan exported 19 billion cubic meters of gas in 2021. In 2022, Azerbaijan increased gas export to 22.3 billion cubic meters, and supplies to Europe reached 11.4 billion cubic meters. The forecast of Azerbaijani gas export in 2023 stands approximately at 24 billion cubic meters, including about 12 billion cubic meters supplied to Europe.