The European Union's energy commissioner has visited Azerbaijan as part of an effort to diversify the continent's energy sources and reduce dependency on Russian gas.
Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on February 4 to discuss ramping up supplies.
"We want the volume of gas exported from Azerbaijan to Europe to reach 10 billion cubic meters," Simson said at a press conference after the talks.
Such an increase is important "against the backdrop of shortages and rising prices in the energy market," she said.
Officials from other European countries, Great Britain, and the United States were also part of Simson's delegation.
Simson and Aliyev met at the eighth ministerial meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor, a route bringing gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe.
EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson (file photo)
Simson said Brussels had "strong bilateral" relations with Azerbaijan, calling it a "reliable energy supply partner," while Aliyev hailed a "new phase" in cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan in the energy sphere.
Aliyev said Azerbaijan exported 19 billion cubic meters of gas last year. This includes 8.5 billion cubic meters (bcm) to Turkey and 7 bcm to Italy. It also exported gas to Georgia, Greece, and Bulgaria.
Azerbaijan's proven gas reserves are 2.6 trillion cubic meters and the largest field is Shah Deniz, with 1 trillion cubic meters, he added.
After Simson met with Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov, the two issued a joint statement in which they "reaffirmed the strategic energy partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the European Union based on shared goals of long-term energy security, security of supply and the green energy transition."
The recent global surge in gas prices has "highlighted the need for the diversification of supplies," the joint statement noted.
Escalating tensions between the West and Russia over Ukraine have raised concerns about Russian gas flows to Europe, prompting the European Commission and the United States to investigate alternatives.
Russia has amassed more than 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine and some EU countries have expressed fears that Russia could suspend gas deliveries to Europe in the event of a conflict between Russia and NATO over Ukraine.
Some EU countries have said Russia has already orchestrated a strain in supplies with the aim of putting pressure on Western countries. Moscow denies this and accusations that it is planning an invasion of Ukraine.
Energy companies and governments also are cooperating with the Baltic states to prepare for a possible cut in Russian natural gas supplies.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte on February 4 told a news conference in Riga that companies and government institutions "are working closely together to prepare, at operational level, for surprises which would happen if gas supply would be used as a means of pressure against the European Union."
If the Russian gas supply gets interrupted, the Baltic states will rely on Lithuanian liquefied natural gas (LNG) and a Latvian gas storage, Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said at the news conference.
"We are in a better shape than many European states," said Karins, adding that the storage reserves were "in a good state" due to a relatively warm winter.