BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 7. The Ukrainian state company for the production, transportation, and processing of oil and natural gas, Naftogaz, is open to potential negotiations with the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) regarding gas transit, TurkicWorld reports on citing the company.
Alexey Chernyshov, Chairman of the Board of Naftogaz of Ukraine, stated that while the company is not currently negotiating the extension of transit with Russia's Gazprom, it is considering cooperation with other entities, including SOCAR.
"Azerbaijan is a major producer of natural gas, and potential cooperation with SOCAR offers certain advantages. We are open to negotiations with other companies, including SOCAR, though we do not have any final agreements at this time. A mandatory condition for our cooperation is the storage of gas in Ukrainian storage facilities. We would welcome SOCAR storing gas in our country," Chernyshov said.
The contract for the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine was signed for five years and is set to expire on December 31. Ukrainian authorities have previously stated that they do not intend to renew this agreement. However, Kyiv has expressed readiness to continue transit under certain conditions and with the participation of companies from the EU.
