Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia seek to boost gas transit from Azerbaijan

Gas transmission system operators in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia have agreed to boost the transit of natural gas from Azerbaijan using their countries’ existing infrastructure. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev described the signing of an agreement with the Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR as a well-timed step that will ensure larger and more secure gas supplies for many European countries. The AP news agency reported.

The European Union signed a memorandum last July to double annual imports of Azerbaijani gas to 20 billion cubic metres by 2027. „The war in Ukraine has prompted us to seek new dimensions for the concepts of neighbourhood, mutual assistance and solidarity. It has prompted us to seek entirely new and effective solutions, new routes and new ways of supplying gas,“ Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said.

Slovak Economy Minister Karel Hirman welcomed the gas system operators’ initiative to secure additional supplies from Azerbaijan. „I would like to express the full support of the Slovak Ministry of Economy for the initiative by our transmission system operators to establish a new corridor from Azerbaijan to Central and Eastern Europe. It has the potential to significantly contribute to increasing the security of gas supplies in the region and, consequently, throughout the EU,“ he said. „I believe the EU will view the project positively and support our efforts politically and financially,“ he added.

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