The European Union (EU) plans to continue and possibly expand its energy cooperation with Azerbaijan, EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen said at a press conference in Baku.
"In Europe, we are striving for complete independence from Russian gas. Since Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukraine, we have actively reduced its imports. During this time, the share of Russian gas in our energy balance has decreased from 45% to 13%. Our goal is to bring it down to zero. This has been made possible—and can ultimately be achieved—thanks to reliable partners like Azerbaijan," Jørgensen emphasized.
He noted that the EU highly values its current cooperation with Baku and sees it as mutually beneficial: "We are confident in the potential of this partnership and intend to continue it in the future, while also exploring opportunities for its expansion."
According to him, the EU and Azerbaijan are also actively cooperating in the field of the "green transition": "We need to decarbonize our economies. In the EU, we have set an ambitious goal—to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. By 2040, we must reduce emissions by 90%. To achieve these goals, it is crucial to develop partnerships with reliable friends in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency."
Jørgensen noted that these issues were among the key topics of the current meeting: "Moving forward, it is absolutely clear to us—we want to strengthen these reliable and constructive relations with Azerbaijan."
