Türkiye-Azerbaijan energy cooperation bolsters regional security: President Erdogan

Energy cooperation between Türkiye and Azerbaijan not only benefits both countries but also strengthens energy security across the region and Europe, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a message sent to the Baku Energy Week.

Recent global geopolitical developments have once again underscored the importance of Türkiye-Azerbaijan cooperation on energy security, Erdogan said on Monday in the message, which was read out by Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar during Baku Energy Week, taking place in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku.

This cooperation, marked by key infrastructure projects such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and South Caucasus (also known as the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipelines) and the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), not only benefits Türkiye and Azerbaijan but also continues to bolster energy security in the region and Europe," Erdogan added.

The Turkish president said the Igdir-Nakhchivan pipeline, inaugurated in March, is the latest example of the long-standing and successful energy cooperation between the two countries.

"The pipeline's entry into operation has strengthened energy supply security in the Nakhchivan region and made us stronger together," he said.

Strategic projects

Erdogan added that increasing the electricity connection between Türkiye and Azerbaijan is another project of strategic importance.

Noting that interconnection capacities between Türkiye and Nakhchivan, and Türkiye and Georgia, also need to be increased, Erdogan said:

"We have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation for green electricity transmission and trade to establish a new electricity interconnection line between Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Bulgaria."

"We aim to complete this project, another historic step for the energy security and prosperity of our region, as soon as possible," he added.

Erdogan said there is significant potential for new natural gas projects between the two countries.

"Azerbaijan, which has long supplied substantial volumes of gas to both Türkiye and Europe, plays a strategic role in the global energy market, a role that is especially important under current conditions," he explained.

"In the coming period, we have an important opportunity to strengthen our cooperation on the export of Turkmen gas through Azerbaijan and Türkiye in a way that benefits all parties," he said. "This project will help diversify supply routes and contribute to regional prosperity."