Shorouk Express
BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 2. Azerbaijan is
strengthening its position as a key energy supplier not only for
Europe but also for a wider region, said Rovshan Najaf, President
of SOCAR, speaking at the opening session of the KAZENERGY Eurasian
Forum in Astana, Trend reports.
“Azerbaijan now is playing a crucial role, not only in the
European energy security, but in a more broader region,” Najaf
said, underlining his country’s growing contribution to energy
stability.
He expressed gratitude to Türkiye for its partnership in new
regional projects: “Together with Türkiye, we were able to start
supplying the gas to Syria, which is in need of it. And the country
now is being developed, redeveloped, reconstructed, and it’s a very
difficult, challenging transition period”.
Najaf noted that this cooperation also includes partners from
the Gulf: “Together with the Turkish partners and Qatari partners,
we started supplying the gas to Syria in August of this year. If
you asked us six months ago, it was not in our plans. But again, we
are ready to play a bigger role in the energy security of the
bigger region”.
Looking ahead, the SOCAR president stressed that Azerbaijan has
the necessary resources to expand its role, but requires long-term
commitments: “We have enough resources, and what we need is just
long-term contracts from the buyers and funding and financing
together with us. Because we have a lot of other plans to
implement, to invest in”.
Najaf also reflected on SOCAR’s evolution: “SOCAR is now
becoming and transforming into an energy company. You rightly
mentioned we started as an oil company, and even the name SOCAR is
the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan. Then we transformed into a gas
company, and now we are an oil, gas, and energy company”.
