EU: The EU and Ukraine ask Azerbaijan to facilitate the transit of Russian gas that should reach the Central European states
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The European Union and Ukraine have asked Azerbaijan to get involved in the talks with Russia regarding a transit agreement on gas, which is due to expire at the end of this year, Hikmat Hajiyev, the adviser to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, told Reuters, reports Agerpres.
“Yes, we were approached by the EU and Ukraine to play a role in gas transit. We were working as facilitators on this issue,” explained Hajiyev.
Europe has tried to give up Russian gas, but several countries in Eastern Europe continue to receive Russian gas through a pipeline that crosses Ukraine. The agreement regulating the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine expires at the end of this year. As the war continues, most analysts expect Russian gas supplies to be cut off.
Austria still receives most of its gas via this route.
Ukraine has announced it will not extend the five-year transit contract that still transports nearly 15 billion cubic meters (bcm) of Russian gas to Europe a year, a fraction of the 150 billion cubic meters transported in 2022. Hajiyev declined to elaborate on how Azerbaijan could facilitate an alternative contract to bring gas from Russia to Europe.
EU imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia also rose to 18 billion cubic meters to compensate for the loss of pipeline gas.
The European Union is trying to diversify its gas imports and has signed an agreement to double Azeri gas imports to at least 20 bcm per year by 2027, but Hajiyev warned that infrastructure and financing still cannot facilitate this expansion.
“We need money to invest in deposits and additional investments in pipelines are needed but the banks are not investing because it is gas,” said Hajiyev, referring to the fact that the big banks are limiting investments in fossil fuels in favor of energy sources renewable.
Uniper SE, a gas company nationalized by Germany after the energy crisis affected its business model, was involved in the discussions, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Everyone in the EU says that gas is needed, but they imagine that Azerbaijan makes its own investments and then the EU says that they are no longer needed,” said Hajiyev.
