Baku: Azerbaijan's natural gas exports to the European Union have significantly increased in recent years, reaching approximately 12.8 billion cubic meters by 2025, APA reports. Azerbaijan's growing role in Europe's energy security was the main focus of an interview given by SOCAR Deputy Vice President Vitaliy Baylarbayov to Euronews' Business Horizons program.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the program noted that Azerbaijan's energy corridors play a key role in diversifying Europe's energy sources, and the country's importance in the global energy market has grown in recent years. The SOCAR deputy vice president stated that Azerbaijan's export routes are strategically important for both the country and Europe. "I would say they are extremely important both for the diversification of Europe's energy sources and for us," he said.
Vitaliy Baylarbayov highlighted SOCAR's expanding international cooperation amid ongoing geopolitical developments. "The main change for us is that we are now working with an increasing number of countries. The number of our partners continues to grow both in the countries to which we supply gas and in those from which we obtain services and technologies," he explained. He emphasized that SOCAR operates all of Azerbaijan's export pipelines on behalf of the country, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the South Caucasus gas pipeline, which are crucial as the main arteries connecting Azerbaijan with the rest of the world.
Describing Azerbaijan's pipeline network as a vital "artery" linking Caspian gas to Europe, Baylarbayov asserted that reliable partnerships are essential for energy security. "The best security you can provide is to be transparent and to be able to live and work together in a changing world. Above all, you need to maintain good relations with your neighbors, as well as with all the countries with which you have long-term partnerships," he noted.
The Business Horizons program highlighted the approximately 3,500-kilometer Southern Gas Corridor as one of the most important energy infrastructure projects connecting the Caspian Sea with European markets. Azerbaijani gas is transported to Europe through a three-pipeline system and reaches several countries, including Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Germany, and Austria. Italy remained Azerbaijan's largest customer in Europe in 2025, importing approximately 9.5 billion cubic meters of gas.
SOCAR Chief Operations Officer Elkhan Sultanov stated in an interview with the program that the company's primary objective is to deliver energy resources safely and without interruption. "Our priority is very simple - to deliver crude oil to our customers safely, reliably, without interruption and efficiently," he said. Sultanov emphasized that ensuring the reliable operation of thousands of kilometers of pipelines requires continuous monitoring. "The pipeline system operates continuously over long distances. Therefore, maintaining the integrity and reliability of the system at a high level requires constant monitoring by our team," he added.
Sultanov stressed the importance of precision in the energy sector, noting that even a small deviation can have serious consequences for safety, efficiency, and operational performance. He highlighted that pipelines are complex systems requiring a high level of professionalism and advanced technologies. The program concluded by emphasizing that energy security depends not only on resources but also on sustainable cooperation, trust, and long-term partnerships.