Expert: Azerbaijan's role as gas transit country will increase

In the changing geopolitics of natural gas supplies to Europe, the existing role of Azerbaijan as an alternative supplier and transit country for gas will only increase, said Slawomir Raszewski, Programme Leader on the MSc Oil and Gas Management (OGM) in the Royal Docks School of Business and Law (RDSBL), University of East London (UEL).

Relations in the energy sector between the EU and Azerbaijan are very strong, as evidenced by the recent high-level meetings of interested parties, he said.

According to Raszewski, the result of this relationship is likely to be the promotion of investment in energy supply and transit capacity, as well as the maximization of natural gas imports to the west - to Türkiye and further to the European Union.

The expansion of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) will be followed by an increase in the production and transit of natural gas, the expert added.

According to him, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has changed existing supply chains, and the Middle Corridor proposed by Azerbaijan promises to connect to the Central Asian republics.

The matter is about trade in both the energy and non-energy sectors, the expert said adding that this is a win-win situation for the Central Asian republics and Azerbaijan, which has been consistently investing in its logistics sector for several years.