Azerbaijan crucial for Europe's energy market, Moldovan minister says

Azerbaijan is a crucial source for Europe's energy market, Moldova's Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu told Report's Eastern Europe bureau after returning from a visit to Azerbaijan.

The minister said Moldova was currently undergoing a major transformation aimed at reducing its external energy dependence and integrating into the European energy market.

"Moldova is currently making serious changes from external energy dependence toward the European market. Azerbaijan is a crucial source in this market. During the meetings held as part of the forum in particular, Moldova attached special importance to this issue and to energy circulation in the Black Sea basin," he said.

Junghietu said he had held meetings during the visit with Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov and senior representatives of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR).

He said the talks focused on expanding economic and energy cooperation between Moldova and Azerbaijan, including opportunities for cooperation in renewable energy and strategic regional projects.

"We discussed with SOCAR the prospects for cooperation in supplying Moldova with oil products and natural gas on competitive terms, as well as opportunities to attract Azerbaijani investment to the country's energy sector," the minister said.

Junghietu added that regional green energy projects had also been given special attention during the meeting with the Azerbaijani delegation.

"In this context, we also discussed the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania-Hungary Green Energy Corridor project, which is designed to transport electricity generated from renewable energy sources to the European market," he said.

Hikmat Hajiyev, Assistant to the President and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, said in an online address to the Trans-Caspian Forum that the Middle Corridor was gaining additional importance amid the escalation of the conflict in the Gulf region and the Middle East.