The European Commission has proposed to EU countries a deal with Azerbaijan to increase gas imports and seek the expantion of infrastructure for this purpose, according to a draft document seen by Reuters.
The proposed draft memorandum is part of EU efforts to slash reliance on Russian gas following the war in Ukraine. “The Sides aspire to support bilateral trade of natural gas, including through exports to the European Union, via the Southern Gas Corridor, of at least 20 billion cubic metres of gas annually by 2027, in accordance with commercial viability and market demand”, says the document, dated July 11.
The draft says both sides will encourage financing the expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor, in particular its Trans-Adriatic leg, to increase deliveries to Europe.
The draft also highlighted the importance of “long-term, predictable and stable contracts” to provide security to gas producers.
Concern over further cuts to Russian gas supply sharpened this week as scheduled maintenance began on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline bringing gas to Germany, with fears Moscow could prolong the outage.
After the relationship with Gazprom grew critically tense last autumn, Moldova now seems to be ready to buy gas under conditions proposed by the European Union.
The change came even before our country was granted EU candidate status. IPN reported that Moldova will be able to purchase gas using the EU’s common platform, after the European Council announced in March new measures to reduce Europe’s reliance on Russian energy. The common platform was announced to be open to Western Balkan countries, as well as to the three Eastern Associated Partners: Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia.
Apart from that, Moldova has made separate efforts to approach Azerbaijan on gas supplies.
At the eighth ministerial meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Consultative Council, which took place in February in Baku, Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spînu met with the Azeri Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazovavut, who said who noted that his country has the potential needed to export Azeri gas and to extend the Southern Gas Corridor. “Azerbaijan is ready to initiate a dialogue on the issue with the interested sides”, it was reported.
Recently, Andrei Spînu said discussions with Azerbaijan continued. “The Republic of Moldova has real chances of purchasing natural gas from Azerbaijan”, he declared.
