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Ulviyya Poladova

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Azerbaijan is emerging as a key bridge connecting Central Asia, the South Caucasus, Türkiye and Europe through a growing network of cross-border energy projects, Orkhan Zeynalov, Deputy Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan, stated during a panel discussion at the 31st Baku Energy Forum, AzerNEWS reports.

Zeynalov stressed that the country's ability to export energy resources and support regional energy security depends on strong cooperation with neighboring states.

"The cross-border interconnected projects are not possible without a good partnership with all regional partners," he said.

According to the deputy minister, the geopolitical landscape is increasingly linking Central Asia, the South Caucasus, the Middle East, the Black Sea region and Europe into a single strategic space, with Azerbaijan playing a pivotal connecting role.

He noted that recent global energy challenges have once again highlighted the importance of the Middle Corridor and energy routes passing through Azerbaijan and Central Asia.

"The energy crisis showed how important the energy corridor through Azerbaijan and Central Asia is for global and regional energy security," Zeynalov said.

He highlighted several major interconnection initiatives currently being implemented together with partners from Central Asia, Georgia, Türkiye, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary.

Among the most advanced projects is the Caspian-Black Sea-Europe electricity interconnector, which is expected to supply Eastern and Southeastern Europe with additional energy resources in the coming years.

As Zeynalov noted, the feasibility study for the project is nearing completion and has demonstrated strong technical potential.

"We are working closely with our Georgian, Hungarian and Romanian colleagues," he said.

The deputy minister stressed that alongside technical assessments, project partners are evaluating commercial viability, including benefits for developers, potential off-takers and the impact on electricity prices in European destination markets.

Zeynalov emphasized that electrification is becoming one of the defining trends of the global energy sector. In his view, renewable electricity combined with natural gas, hydropower and other energy sources can provide a strong foundation for long-term energy security.

He also highlighted progress on the Central Asia-Azerbaijan Green Energy Corridor, launched earlier this year in cooperation with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

According to Zeynalov, the planned subsea electricity cable will create not only additional transmission capacity but also greater flexibility and diversification of energy supply routes.

The deputy minister also outlined ongoing cooperation with Türkiye on two additional interconnector projects. One of them, the Azerbaijan-Türkiye interconnector through the Zangezur Corridor, has already secured agreement for the export of one gigawatt of electricity, with the potential to expand capacity to three gigawatts based on commercial and technical assessments.