Babiš: Czech Republic intends to implement all gas agreements with Azerbaijan - EXCLUSIVE

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has discussed the issue of transporting Azerbaijani oil and gas through Ukrainian territory with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"When we met in Yerevan [at the European Political Community summit, - ed.], I asked President Zelenskyy whether he would allow the transportation of Azerbaijani oil and gas through Ukrainian territory. He replied that it was possible," Babiš said in an interview with Report's Balkan bureau.

He noted that the Czech Republic needs to "fulfill all agreements" with Azerbaijan regarding gas supplies.

"There is currently high demand for Azerbaijani oil and gas, and we are striving to implement the agreements we reached earlier. <...> This is important for us, as we purchase fuel from the Bratislava refinery [owned by the Hungarian MOL Group - ed.]. The Czech Republic imports about 30% of its fuel, so supplies of this raw material are of great importance," Babiš emphasized.

According to him, "Azerbaijan is the largest supplier of crude oil to the Czech Republic."

The Czech prime minister noted that Baku and Prague are also developing trade relations, specifically discussing the creation of joint ventures.

"For example, the Czech beer producer Budějovický Budvar has already begun discussing the possibility of establishing a joint venture in Azerbaijan," Babiš said.

The prime minister added that Czech Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlíček will visit Azerbaijan this year with a delegation of business representatives.

The Czech Republic previously announced its intention to purchase up to 2 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Azerbaijan.