BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec.20. Azerbaijani gas for Romania and for the EU is not just a quick fix: it is a ticket to an honest, mutually beneficial partnership that is commercial in nature and political in attached opportunities, CEO at Romania's Smartlink Communications consulting company, analyst, consultant, and think tanker Radu Magdin told Trend.
“Azerbaijani gas for Europe, including for Bulgaria and Romania, is an important source of energy diversification and further security and independence. With the war in Ukraine, it is clear that Europe’s dependency on Moscow cannot continue in an environment of threat and instability. Therefore, it is only natural for the EU to search for viable alternatives that would also allow for long-term cooperation on green, sustainable energy,” he said.
Magdin further noted that Romania’s relations with Azerbaijan are based on the Strategic Partnership signed in 2009, which to this day continues to hold untapped potential in the field of economy and commerce, but especially in the field of energy.
“A key development from this perspective is the recently-signed Agreement between the governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary on a Strategic Partnership in the field of green energy development and transport, whose EU endorsement is also essential. Energy and transport connectivity are the utmost important sectors of cooperation from Romania’s point of view, which can act as a catalyst for further bilateral investments and sectoral cooperation. A key contextual opportunity in this direction is that Romania perceives Azerbaijan as a balancing force in the South Caucasus region,” he added.
Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR and Romania's Romgaz signed an agreement on Dec.16 on supplying gas from Azerbaijan to Romania.
The agreement provides for the scheduled transmission of natural gas from January 1, 2023 through the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the European part of the Southern Gas Corridor, the Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB).
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