US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, visiting Turkey, went to Greece, where he spoke about the importance of Azerbaijani gas to ensure energy security of Europe.
At a press conference in Athens with his Greek colleague, the Secretary of State said that as a result of the launch of the Greece-Bolgaria gas pipeline, Sofia, which previously depended on Russian gas, will be able to fully provide its needs through supplies from Azerbaijan.
“And, of course, Greece also helps NATO to strengthen its energy security, contributing to the diversification of sources and reducing dependence on Russian gas, as well as deepening their integration into the wider energy market of Europe, – Entoni Blinken emphasized. – Bulgaria, for example, for example, Bulgaria, for example. Previously, 90 percent depended on Russia in relation to the supply of natural gas. The recently built interconnector with Greece allows Bulgaria to abandon this source. As a result, next year the country will import 100 percent of the gas consumed from Azerbaijan and the United States. “
It should be noted that the construction of the Greece-Bolgaria interconnector for many years was delayed by pro-Russian forces in Bulgaria. But last year, the coalition of pro -Western forces in the country decided to speed up the construction of the gas pipeline and abandon Russian gas. As a result, the Greece-Bolgaria interconnector was commissioned on October 1, 2022.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev called this project “historical” and added that the IGB will play an important role in strengthening the energy security of Europe and diversify gas supplies.
“Today, energy security is an integral part of the national security strategy of each country, which once again proves the current political situation in the world, – the President of Azerbaijan emphasized.“ Southern gas corridor is one of the important infrastructure projects implemented on the European continent and changing the energy map Europe. Azerbaijan is proud of what is the initiator of this project. “