Azerbaijan’s gas exports to Europe have jumped by more than 30% this year, Baku announced on Monday, becoming one of the substitute suppliers for the Old Continent, which is seeking to do without Russia.
Azerbaijan, a hydrocarbon-rich Caucasus country, has “delivered 7.3 billion cubic meters” of gas to Europe in the first eight months of 2022, Azerbaijan’s Energy Minister Parviz Chahbazov announced on Twitter.
In total, Baku will deliver 12 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe in 2022, a volume 31% higher than the quantities supplied last year, according to the same source.
In July, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, visited Azerbaijan to convince Baku to deliver more gas to Europe, which is seeking to reduce its dependence on Russian gas in the context of the conflict in Ukraine.
Mrs. von der Leyen and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev had agreed to double “in a few years” the volume of gas sold to Europe by Baku.