BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 11. The 5th Azerbaijan-Türkiye Energy Forum was held in Baku under the co-chairmanship of Azerbaijan’s Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov and Türkiye’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
Speaking at the event, Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said that, in the new stage of Azerbaijan-Türkiye relations, which have risen to the level of strategic alliance, energy cooperation is developing toward strengthening national and regional energy security, diversifying energy flows, integrating electricity systems and enhancing energy connectivity.
He noted that, under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the energy partnership has produced significant results during this period. The commissioning of the Iğdır-Nakhchivan gas pipeline, Türkiye Petrolleri joining the Shafag-Asiman project, an agreement on exporting part of the gas to be produced from the Absheron field to Türkiye, the transportation of Azerbaijani gas to new European markets and Syria via Türkiye, as well as SOCAR’s new investment in the acquisition of an 870-megawatt power plant in Türkiye, were cited as examples of the expanding scope of cooperation.
It was reported that a total of 561 million tons of oil and 196 billion cubic meters of gas have so far been supplied from Azerbaijan to Türkiye and through Türkiye to international markets via existing oil and gas infrastructure. The volume of Azerbaijani gas supplied to Türkiye amounted to 130 billion cubic meters, including 40 billion cubic meters delivered via TANAP. In the first eight months of this year alone, Türkiye received 6.2 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas, European countries received 7.5 billion cubic meters via Türkiye, and Syria received 1 billion cubic meters.
Electricity and green energy corridors were particularly highlighted in the speech as the next strategic areas of energy cooperation: “While digitalization is accelerating the green transformation, artificial intelligence, data centers and expanding electrification are creating new requirements for energy systems. Electricity is becoming one of the key strategic resources for economic development, digital transformation and energy security. This reality requires not only new generation capacity, but also stronger grids, energy storage systems and new electricity connections linking countries and regions. This process also opens new strategic horizons for the Azerbaijan-Türkiye energy partnership. Expanding the energy connections we have established between East and West through oil and gas projects with electricity and green energy corridors, and delivering green energy from the Caspian Sea and Central Asia to Europe via Azerbaijan and Türkiye, are prospects that will strengthen the strategic role of our countries in reshaping the energy map of Eurasia.”
He noted that the participation of Turkish companies in Azerbaijan’s green energy sector is expanding. Given the increasingly close link between the energy transition, digitalization and artificial intelligence, the importance of strengthening cooperation in this area within the Azerbaijan-Türkiye Energy Forum was emphasized. It was also stated that Azerbaijan is ready to support brotherly Türkiye, which will host COP31.
Türkiye’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, in turn, said that the relations between the two countries are not ordinary neighborly or trade ties: “Our cooperation is based on strong brotherhood, mutual trust and achievements that have gone down in history. This Forum is a strategic platform where we turn our common future into concrete projects under the motto ‘One nation, two states.’ We view the projects involving Nakhchivan, as well as those bringing together Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Bulgaria, not simply as infrastructure projects, but as strategic steps that form the foundation for long-term regional energy cooperation.”
SOCAR President Rovshan Najaf, AzerEnerji Chairman Baba Rzayev, BOTAŞ General Manager Abdulvahit Fidan, TPAO General Manager Cem Erdem and Türkiye Elektrik İletim A.Ş. (TEİAŞ) General Manager Mustafa Pustu also delivered speeches at the forum.
The “Protocol of the Fifth Türkiye-Azerbaijan Energy Forum” was signed at the conclusion of the event.
