– How do you assess the current state of energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and other Turkic-speaking countries?
– The relationships between Turkic states are experiencing the most significant period in their history, and the dynamic development of current ties is the result of a unified political will and targeted policies of our leaders. The words of the President of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, “Our family is the Turkic world” reflect the significance and strength of this unity. Energy is one of the important areas of interaction between Turkic states. The intensive partnerships that have developed in recent years in the field of developing and transporting energy resources have enabled effective cooperation from Central Asia to Europe and create conditions for achieving a strategic position both in the regional and global energy markets.
The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC), Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum, Trans-Anatolian Gas Pipeline, and Southern Gas Corridor projects, being an achievement of the energy partnership between Azerbaijan and Turkey, ensure energy security not only for Turkey but also for many other countries. The BTC pipeline has been used for many years to transport oil from Turkmenistan to global markets, and over the last two years, from Kazakhstan as well. Based on an agreement signed in 2022 between SOCAR and KazMunayGas for the transportation of 1.5 million tons of oil annually, 2.5 million tons of Kazakh oil have been delivered to global markets via the BTC pipeline from March 2023 until the end of 2024. An agreement to gradually increase these volumes, signed in March of last year, provides for increasing transit volumes to 2.2 million tons per year. Moreover, last year, transit of crude oil from the Kashagan field began through the BTC pipeline.
The recent launch of the ‘Igdir-Nakhchivan’ gas pipeline, which supplies gas to the city of Nakhchivan, referred to as the ‘gateway to the Turkic world’, serves as another successful example of energy cooperation among Turkic states. Another current priority is joint work with Turkey, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan on oil and gas fields.
Cooperation with Uzbekistan in the energy sector is currently developing in many areas. The memorandum of understanding signed in 2022 between the energy ministries of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, as well as the ‘roadmap’ for 2023-2025, have led to significant results in this field. As part of the implementation of these documents, a joint venture between SOCAR and Uzbekneftegaz was established for trading oil, oil products, oil and gas and petrochemical goods and their logistics, as well as concrete steps taken towards implementing a strategically important green energy project.
All these facts indicate that energy cooperation with Turkic states is not only on the rise but also serves as an impetus for the implementation of new regional projects and initiatives.
— One of the most significant documents signed in 2024 was the agreement between Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan in the field of green energy. Azerbaijan set an ambitious goal of connecting Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Europe through a unified energy corridor. For Uzbekistan, this paves the way for the future export of green energy produced in the country to the EU. Could you please tell us more about how the implementation of this project is progressing and the timelines for its realization.
– The relationships between Turkic states are experiencing the most significant period in their history, and the dynamic development of current ties is the result of a unified political will and targeted policies of our leaders. The words of the President of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, “Our family is the Turkic world” reflect the significance and strength of this unity. Energy is one of the important areas of interaction between Turkic states. The intensive partnerships that have developed in recent years in the field of developing and transporting energy resources have enabled effective cooperation from Central Asia to Europe and create conditions for achieving a strategic position both in the regional and global energy markets.
The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC), Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum, Trans-Anatolian Gas Pipeline, and Southern Gas Corridor projects, being an achievement of the energy partnership between Azerbaijan and Turkey, ensure energy security not only for Turkey but also for many other countries. The BTC pipeline has been used for many years to transport oil from Turkmenistan to global markets, and over the last two years, from Kazakhstan as well. Based on an agreement signed in 2022 between SOCAR and KazMunayGas for the transportation of 1.5 million tons of oil annually, 2.5 million tons of Kazakh oil have been delivered to global markets via the BTC pipeline from March 2023 until the end of 2024. An agreement to gradually increase these volumes, signed in March of last year, provides for increasing transit volumes to 2.2 million tons per year. Moreover, last year, transit of crude oil from the Kashagan field began through the BTC pipeline.
The recent launch of the ‘Igdir-Nakhchivan’ gas pipeline, which supplies gas to the city of Nakhchivan, referred to as the ‘gateway to the Turkic world’, serves as another successful example of energy cooperation among Turkic states. Another current priority is joint work with Turkey, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan on oil and gas fields.
Cooperation with Uzbekistan in the energy sector is currently developing in many areas. The memorandum of understanding signed in 2022 between the energy ministries of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, as well as the ‘roadmap’ for 2023-2025, have led to significant results in this field. As part of the implementation of these documents, a joint venture between SOCAR and Uzbekneftegaz was established for trading oil, oil products, oil and gas and petrochemical goods and their logistics, as well as concrete steps taken towards implementing a strategically important green energy project.
All these facts indicate that energy cooperation with Turkic states is not only on the rise but also serves as an impetus for the implementation of new regional projects and initiatives.
— One of the most significant documents signed in 2024 was the agreement between Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan in the field of green energy. Azerbaijan set an ambitious goal of connecting Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Europe through a unified energy corridor. For Uzbekistan, this paves the way for the future export of green energy produced in the country to the EU. Could you please tell us more about how the implementation of this project is progressing and the timelines for its realization.