Agreement between SOCAR and Romgaz

On December 16, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and "Romgaz S.A." signed an agreement on gas supply from Azerbaijan to Romania.

According to the Press Office of SOCAR, the agreement provides for the planned transportation of natural gas from the Greek-Comotini exit point of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the European branch of the Southern Gas Corridor, through the Greece-Bulgaria Gas Interconnector (IGB) as of January 1, 2023. 

"The agreement, which ensures the delivery of Azerbaijani gas to a new buyer in Europe, serves our country's strategic goals of diversifying gas supply within the framework of new bilateral partnerships with various European countries," the information stated. SOCAR stated that one of the main goals of the memorandum is to increase the supply of natural gas to the European Union and contribute to energy security.

During the memorandum signing, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, said that the gas exports from Azerbaijan would be doubled. "Through this document, we express our commitment to the expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor. This project is already very important for the European Union. Every year, we transfer 8 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe, and in the coming years, we will increase its volume to 20 billion cubic meters. Next year, we will increase the volume to 12 billion cubic meters, and this will make a significant contribution to compensating for the gas cut from Russia and providing Europe with energy," she added.

Meeting between Aliyev and Romanian President

On December 17, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with Klaus Iohannis, the President of Romania, in Bucharest, the Press Office of the Azerbaijani President reported.

The sides pointed out the existence of strategic partnership relations between the two countries and stressed the importance of high-level reciprocal visits and meetings. They noted that the relevant authorities in both countries enjoy close cooperation.

During the conversation, the presidents noted the significance of the signing of the "Agreement on a Strategic Partnership in the Field of Green Energy Development and Transmission between the Governments of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania, and Hungary," adding that this event contributes to Europe's energy security. Both sides emphasized the importance of supplying Europe's energy needs through green energy sources, and both praised Azerbaijan's significant contribution to this work.

They also exchanged views on bilateral relations. The sides underlined that after the commissioning of the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria, an agreement was reached on the transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Romania in a short time and stated that this work would start in January next year. They also noted that SOCAR has been successfully operating in Romania for many years and said there is good potential for expanding this activity.

During the conversation, the presidents exchanged views on the possibility of increasing transport and communication opportunities and the volume of cargo transportation through the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania route. The sides underlined that this would also contribute to economic cooperation between the countries of the Caspian Sea basin and the Black Sea basin. They stressed the importance of these processes in strengthening transit relations between Central Asia and Europe.

The sides also touched upon relations between Azerbaijan and the European Union and hailed the development of this cooperation. They pointed out the successful continuation of the negotiations on a new agreement between Azerbaijan and the European Union.