15.01.2018
Boyko Borissov and Ilham Aliyev confirmed the 1 bln. c.m. per year natural gas guaranteed for Bulgaria from the second phase of the Shah Deniz deposit
The Azerbaijani State Oil Company SOCAR is interested in investing in the Bulgarian gas transmission network. This became clear after the meeting of Bulgarian Prime Minister Mr. Boyko Borissov and the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in Baku, Azerbaijan.
“Only 3% of the territory of Bulgaria is gasified and at the same time the air in Bulgaria is polluted because of the use of fossil fuels for heating. We set our ambitious goal to increase the use of non-polluting heating materials among the population,” Prime Minister Borissov said. According to President Aliyev, 93% of the territory of Azerbaijan is gasified. The country has successfully invested in the gasification of Georgia and could bring its experience and good practices to Bulgaria, as well. After the meeting, the energy and economic ministers of both countries will develop a plan for investment in the gas transmission network in Bulgaria.
President Aliyev underlined that Azerbaijan and Bulgaria are strategic partners in the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor project, which will ensure energy security for Europe. “We expect the launch of the construction of the gas system interconnector between Greece and Bulgaria in June, while the extension to Turkey should be ready by. Thus our country will have secured the receipt of the agreed 1 billion cubic meters of natural gas for Bulgaria from the second phase of the Shah Deniz deposit,” said Prime Minister Borissov. According to him, there are opportunities for social packages to be provided to the population for heating on natural gas.
Prime Minister Borissov and President Aliyev also discussed the importance of transport corridors number 8 and 10 that will link Europe and Asia. The direct Sofia-Baku airline, which will be officially opened tomorrow, was negotiated in 2015 when Aliyev visited Bulgaria. The new transport link will help the business exchange between the two countries and strengthen the economic, trade, and cultural relations even more.
