The Southern Gas Corridor has proven beyond any doubt, in the two years since it became operational, its strategic importance to Europe’s energy security, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said at the 9th Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting and 1st Green Energy Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting in Baku, Report informs.
“The Corridor becomes even more important at this particular time, when Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has drastically changed the geopolitical context, especially when we talk about energy security. Against this background, the European Union and the Member States have taken decisive steps to substantially reduce the dependence on unreliable gas sources, as they carry a geopolitical price tag that is just too high to pay,” he noted.
The answers to Europe’s energy questions involve solidarity, regional cooperation and diversification of sources and transport routes, he added.
“These are key principles, which are encapsulated by projects such as the Southern Gas Corridor. We have all faced unprecedented energy challenges in 2022: gas shortages or lack of affordable gas supplies, price volatility, market turbulence. These challenges required complex policies and regulatory shifts. The gas from Azerbaijan, delivered through the Southern Corridor, came as a safety net for many states in the region.”