Ilham Aliyev: It is difficult to imagine what European energy market would look like without Southern Gas Corridor

"Today, it is difficult to imagine what the European energy market would look like without the Southern Gas Corridor," Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said at the official opening ceremony of the 31st Baku Energy Forum, Report informs.

"As I said, we provide gas supplies to a growing number of countries. Last year, here at Baku Energy Week, I reported to the audience that we had 12 recipient countries of Azerbaijani gas. Today, that number is 16, and 10 of them are members of the European Union. And the number will definitely grow. In terms of supplying pipeline gas to different countries and the geographical reach of those supplies, if you look at that parameter, we are number one in the world. And we will increase our gas supplies. And today, by the way, we will have a very good ceremony and the signing of several documents. In particular, I would like to highlight the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli deep gas project, which will generate additional gas production, along with Absheron and many other projects. So our contribution to global energy security will definitely grow. The right energy policy has now allowed us to invest outside Azerbaijan. There was a time, 30 years ago, when we were attracting investors. Now we are taking our investments abroad. Today, our State Oil Company, SOCAR, is investing in the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia. And this geography will continue to expand," the head of state noted.

"We all talk about that, especially now, when the crisis in the Middle East has largely damaged the energy security of many countries, producers, and consumers. We worked on that for many years. We invested heavily and initiated large-scale infrastructure projects such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, connecting the Caspian and the Mediterranean for the first time; the Baku-Supsa oil pipeline, connecting the Caspian and the Black Sea; and TANAP and TAP-the Trans-Anatolian and Trans-Adriatic gas pipelines-which, together with the South Caucasus Gas Pipeline, are part of the Southern Gas Corridor, one of the most ambitious energy infrastructure projects of our time: a 3,500-kilometer integrated pipeline system. Part of it goes across high mountains; part of it runs along the seabed. Today, it provides energy security for a growing number of countries. We initiated it, and we are grateful to our partner countries and companies that stood with us," Ilham Aliyev said.