The Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov made a speech at the panel discussions held within the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF) on "Energy security in turmoil". In the panel moderated by international expert on energy Brenda Shaffer, which were attended by the Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey Alparslan Bayraktar and international expert Matthew Bryza, the Minister assessed the forum as one of Turkey's initiatives contributing to establish a dialogue on the issues in the global agenda. It was emphasized that Turkey is a reliable partner in energy security issues as well and that Azerbaijan jointly implements all energy security projects with Turkey, TurkicWorld reports citing the Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan
The Minister noted that the energy cooperation between the two countries and increasing gas supplies via the Southern Gas Corridor was one of the priorities discussed during the visit of the president of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to Turkey.
The Minister of Energy shared his views on the current situation in energy markets, the growing role of natural gas in sustainable energy supply and Azerbaijan's energy policy based on the diversity of energy resources. It was noted that the balance between all three aspects of the energy trilemma - security, accessibility and sustainability - were upset: "On the one hand, the energy crisis caused by the energy transition, and on the other hand, the ongoing political tensions made the energy markets dramatically unstable and volatile. This problem was caused by the energy policy of market participants, unfair approaches to energy resources, while the political processes further intensified it."
The Minister stated that sustainable energy solutions will be one of the main challenges tomorrow as it is today, and in this regard, natural gas will play an important role in the process of energy transition. He added that ensuring the balance between energy security and environmental safety is a more rational approach and dependence on a single energy resource leads to instability for energy markets. It was also noted that the energy crisis that began last year led to the extension of the distance to the carbon neutrality target by increasing the use of the types of energy such as coal.
Stating that he sees the strengthening of the energy security of our country in the joint development of renewable energy with natural gas, the Minister brought to the attention the goals and plans in both areas. The Minister said that the Southern Gas Corridor was a successful project, providing consumers with gas at an uninterrupted and affordable price: "Since TAP was put into operation, 9.7 bcm of gas have been exported to Europe. This year, our gas exports to Turkey will increase to 8.2 bcm, and to Europe-to 9.1 bcm."
The Minister of Energy also added that the uniqueness of the corridor makes it possible to diversify the sources of supply, as well as new consumption directions of the Southern Gas Corridor. Azerbaijan's huge gas reserves, existing infrastructure and various countries` interest in Azerbaijani gas have brought the expansion of the corridor to the fore. It is time to start working in this direction, the Minister said.
Energy Minister brought to the attention not only the gas of the Caspian Sea, but also the plans on the export of electricity using the rich potential of wind energy.
It should be noted that the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the auspices of the Presidency of Turkey, is a platform that brings together Heads of states and governments, ministers, well-known statesmen and political figures, influential politicians, scientists, businessmen and media representatives from many countries around the world and promotes dialogue.