Brussels: Azerbaijan’s Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov met with Gert Jan Koopman, Director-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations at the European Commission, to discuss key priorities in energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union. The meeting highlighted the significant increase in Azerbaijan’s gas exports to the EU, which rose by more than 57% from 2021 to 2024. Emphasis was placed on the importance of investing in the expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor and securing long-term contracts, along with a review of EU policies on financing gas projects.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, Koopman showed strong interest in working with Azerbaijan on the Middle Corridor initiative, especially within the Caspian-Black Sea-Europe Green Energy Corridor project. The discussions revealed that the project is currently in the feasibility study phase, with ongoing efforts to incorporate it into the 10-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E).

The meeting also shared insights on the corridor’s electricity and fiber-optic components, alongside future green energy supply prospects. The potential integration with the Central Asia-Azerbaijan Green Energy Corridor was discussed, with Minister Shahbazov noting the project’s potential to connect Central Asia to Europe via Azerbaijan. This connection could facilitate large-scale energy exports from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, contributing significantly to the EU’s energy diversification efforts.

The exchange included discussions on holding the third meeting of the Azerbaijan-EU energy dialogue, aiming to further strengthen the energy ties between the two regions.