Karel Havlíček says he will revisit Azerbaijan this year

Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček plans to visit Azerbaijan again with a business mission before the end of the year, Report informs.

"Before the end of the year, I will visit Azerbaijan again, once more with a group of entrepreneurs, and we will already draw concrete conclusions here from what we agreed upon [on April 27 in Gabala during the visit of Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš to Azerbaijan]," Havlíček said on social media, specifying that the visit is expected to take place "closer to late summer or in early autumn."

Havlíček recalled that the Czech Republic is eyeing a long-term gas supply contract with Azerbaijan.

"A few weeks ago, we negotiated one billion cubic meters of gas in the US, and yesterday in Azerbaijan - a volume twice as large. This should cover up to 40% of gas consumption in the Czech Republic over three years. We are diversifying resources and fulfilling promises," Havlíček stated.

The minister also emphasized that negotiations with the Azerbaijani side are aimed at strengthening the energy security of the Czech Republic and expanding opportunities for Czech businesses.