Teodor Dechev: Azerbaijan became one of foundations of Bulgaria’s energy security

Relations between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria have an extremely strong and solid foundation, Teodor Dechev, Ph.D., associate professor at the Higher School of Security and Economics (HSSE) in the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria, told Report.

Azerbaijan is a very important factor in ensuring the energy security of Bulgaria, and Bulgaria is essential for reinforcing the energy expansion of Baku in South-Eastern Europe, and already towards Central Europe, he said.

“The prospects for our relations can only be positive. Bulgaria will be Azerbaijan’s partner in the “Vertical Corridor” and “Ring of Solidarity” projects. This will create opportunities for the supply of Azerbaijani gas via pipeline to Romania, Hungary and Slovakia in large volumes,” he noted.

“I think that both emotionally and pragmatically, relations between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan will only gain momentum, especially since Baku’s entry into the European energy market with new products will further strengthen the pragmatic vector of these relations.

By the way, if, based on the fact that the EU considers natural gas to be a transition fuel, which will be relevant at least until 2030, some coal-fired thermal power plants in Bulgaria switch to natural gas, this could easily lead to a doubling of Bulgaria’s need for Azerbaijani gas,” he noted.

Against the backdrop of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as well as Moscow’s suspension of gas supplies to Bulgaria, Dechev calls Azerbaijan an important energy player in the region.

“Thus, Azerbaijan has become a first-class supplier of natural gas through the pipeline in Bulgaria and one of the pillars of the energy security of our state,” he said.