Parviz Shahbazov: 21st century has become 'age of connectivity'

In the modern geopolitical and geoeconomic environment, the issue of connectivity holds strategic importance, and the 21st century has already become the "century of connectivity," Azerbaijan's Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov said at an event titled "Cities at the Center of Connectivity: Urban Reconstruction and Regional Cooperation" held within the framework of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Report informs.

The minister noted that energy lines, transport corridors, fiber-optic cables, and electrical connections are becoming the new arteries of the global system: "Today, connectivity means not only infrastructure and trade, but also sustainability, stability, and regional cooperation. Located at the crossroads of East and West, North and South, Azerbaijan is becoming one of Eurasia's key connectivity and cooperation hubs. This process has been made possible through the strategic policy of President Ilham Aliyev, which combines energy security, green development, regional integration, and peacebuilding. Azerbaijan has declared 'clean environment and green growth' as one of the main priorities of its socio-economic development strategy and implements its energy policy in alignment with urbanization and regional integration. The development of electric transport, data centers, artificial intelligence, and the digital economy is rapidly increasing energy demand in cities."

Shahbazov emphasized that, currently, projects aimed at creating approximately 8 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity are being implemented in Azerbaijan: "Approximately 2 gigawatts of this capacity will be integrated into the national energy system next year. These projects mean not only an increase in energy production, but also a new industrial transformation and an annual reduction of 2.4 million tons of emissions."

The minister of energy added that Azerbaijan has also established institutional mechanisms in the field of energy efficiency, and this direction is considered one of the fundamental principles of modern urban governance.