This plan is part of the efforts to keep natural gas flowing to Europe while excluding Russia when the transit deal between Kyiv and Moscow expires at the end of the year. This information was reported in an article published by Politico.
The EU’s proposal is a crucial step in ensuring Europe’s energy security. According to Hikmet Hajiyev, a senior adviser to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan is seriously considering various options for participating in this process.
“We are considering different options as to how we can contribute to that process,” Hajiyev said in an interview with Politico.
This plan is driven by growing concerns among several EU countries, such as Slovakia and Hungary, which have historically relied on this pipeline to power industry and heat homes. A Central European diplomat, who requested anonymity, confirmed the risks to supply security when the transit through Ukraine ends due to existing infrastructure bottlenecks in the European gas system.
The EU has stated that it is not interested in renewing the existing agreement with Russia and Ukraine, signed in 2019. Several alternative solutions have been proposed, one of which involves using Azerbaijani gas to fill the pipelines.
Azerbaijan, as noted by Hajiyev, already supplies gas to eight EU countries and plans to expand the geography of its gas exporters in Europe.
“We hope to enlarge the geography of [Azerbaijani] gas importers from the wider European family in the near future,” Hajiyev said.
Although the specific details of the plan are not yet clear, there is a possibility that Russia could still receive revenue if gas volumes are “swapped” between countries before export. This is particularly important for Russia, as Gazprom is in a difficult financial position, recording its first annual loss since 1999.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the EU has been strengthening its energy ties with Azerbaijan. In 2022, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen signed a memorandum of understanding with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev aimed at doubling gas supplies to Europe from Azerbaijan.
The European Union is taking active steps to ensure its energy security amid geopolitical changes. Cooperation with Azerbaijan in this regard is a key element of these efforts, allowing diversification of gas sources and reducing dependence on Russia.
