Azerbaijan, Baku, May 17 /Trend E.Ismayilov/
SOCAR is considering the possibility expanding to Switzerland and Romania in the medium term, a SOCAR source told Trend.
In particular, he said, the entering of the company into the markets of Switzerland and Romania allow SOCAR to examine the European experience and consider the possibility of expanding markets in Austria, Hungary and several Balkan countries.
"SOCAR is greatly interested in taking part in many projects in the region," the source said.
He said the plans for the development of the Turkish petrochemica complex Petkim, in which SOCAR has equity participation, and building a new refinery will allow Petkim to increase its share in the Turkish market to 40 percent.
In addition, SOCAR is considered not only to be a supplier of petroleum and petroleum products to Central and Eastern Europe, but also as a company that has extensive experience in oil and gas.
All this makes SOCAR attractive as a participant in various projects in the region, the source said.
Earlier, SOCAR has acquired 14 petrol stations in Romania. The stations are located in the northeast of Romania near the border with Moldova.
Today, the company has its own gas stations in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine. SOCAR signed an agreement with Exxon Mobil in November last year to acquire its Swiss branch - Esso Schweiz GmbH. The company will operate under the brand name Esso within 12 months after a change of ownership.