Baku. TurkicWorld:

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, has made a completely reckless statement that undermines all the efforts of the EU, which is striving diligently to diversify gas sources and supply routes.

Talking to journalists on the sidelines of the informal EU summit in Granada, Spain, she suggested that the EU should not buy gas from Azerbaijan, as the country is allegedly an "unreliable partner" due to anti-terror measures implemented by Azerbaijan in Karabakh recently.

First and foremost, it's important to note that Azerbaijan's actions were solely within its own territory, directed at addressing illegal Armenian armed groups on sovereign Azerbaijani soil. The results of these actions, including the dissolution of the illegal regime in Karabakh, have been a significant step toward ensuring sustainable peace in the South Caucasus, a goal for which Europe has also played a mediating role. Therefore, this statement appears, at the very least, unfounded in this context.

Regarding the economic aspect, European representatives have repeatedly referred to Azerbaijan as a reliable, pan-European supplier. European countries have lined up to gain access to Azerbaijani gas. Let's not forget that just last year, during the visit of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to Azerbaijan, a memorandum was signed to double gas supplies from Azerbaijan to Europe by 2027.

Azerbaijan has consistently expressed its readiness to increase gas transportation volumes to Europe if requested, and such requests have indeed come from European states. Currently, Azerbaijani gas, to the tune of 10 bcm per year, flows through the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) to Italy, Greece, and Bulgaria. Thanks to Azerbaijani gas, Italy has been able to export some volumes to Northern Europe. Bulgaria has been steadily reducing gas prices in its domestic market, as Azerbaijani gas via the Greece-Bulgaria Interconnector (IGB) covers a third of the country's needs. High-ranking Greek officials have stated that, thanks in part to TAP, the country now has the opportunity to become a gas hub in its region.

Hungary's largest wholesale natural gas trader, MVM CEEnergy, signed a contract with SOCAR on June 2 this year for the transportation of 100 million cubic meters of gas. The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) began injecting the first 50 million cubic meters of gas into Hungarian storage facilities.

In addition to these developments, more than 10 European countries have approached Azerbaijan to increase existing gas supplies or gain access to the Southern Gas Corridor through interconnectors.

Meanwhile, on April 25, 2022, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania, and Hungary signed an agreement on strategic partnership, envisioning the construction of an energy bridge from the Caucasus region to Europe. This agreement anticipates the construction of the Black Sea Energy submarine electrical cable with a capacity of 1000 MW and a length of 1,195 kilometers. The cable is intended for the delivery of green electricity generated in Azerbaijan through Georgia and the Black Sea to Romania for further transportation to Hungary and the rest of Europe.

Lastly, let's remember that Malta, the home country of President Metsola and where a significant portion of electricity generation relies on natural gas, has benefited from Azerbaijani gas.

Malta is a small island largely isolated from the European energy grid, with limited energy source diversification. Imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) is the main source of electricity production (80 percent of Malta's energy production).

It's worth mentioning that SOCAR is one of the LNG suppliers to Malta. The first contract was signed in 2013 and has been extended until April 2027. Under the new terms, SOCAR Trading delivers LNG to Malta at floating prices instead of fixed prices as in the previous contract.

It would be a good idea to remind her that it was the people of Malta who voted for Roberta and made her the President of the European Parliament. Now, from her seat in Strasbourg, she seems to want to deprive her own constituents of gas.