During his visit to the US, Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov spoke at George Washington University, one of the country's leading higher education institutions, at an event commemorating the 22nd anniversary of the death of national leader Heydar Aliyev, Report informs.
In his speech, the minister noted the great leader's exceptional contributions to the history of the Azerbaijani statehood.
He emphasized that Heydar Aliyev's efforts to establish a reliable and stable partnership with the US laid the strategic foundation for cooperation in energy, security, and economics: "As a result of Heydar Aliyev's strategic thinking, the Contract of the Century was signed in 1994, marking the first victory of the Azerbaijani-American energy partnership and marking the beginning of the United States' active participation in all processes aimed at bringing Caspian Sea energy resources to international markets."
Following the Contract of the Century, four agreements were signed at the White House between oil companies of both countries, and the Baku-Supsa, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, and Southern Gas Corridor projects were implemented with US support, becoming successful examples of energy partnership.
It was noted at the event that relations between Azerbaijan and the US are strengthening under the leadership of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and US President Donald Trump, and that the energy partnership is entering a new strategic phase.
The event was also attended by Azerbaijan's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States Khazar Ibrahim, Rector of ADA University Hafiz Pashayev, and MP Samad Seyidov, head of the Azerbaijan-US Interparliamentary Working Group on Relations. Furthermore, at the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the film "Trace" was screened.
As part of his visit to the United States, Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov met with representatives from the House of Representatives and the Chamber of Commerce.
At the meetings with Vice-Chairman of House Subcommittee on Energy Michael Cloud and Dan Newhouse, House Appropriations Committee Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Subcommittee, the prospects for the development of successful energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and the United States at a new stage were discussed. The ongoing contributions of projects such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Southern Gas Corridor, which are the contributions of the energy partnership, to regional energy supply were reviewed. In particular, the decisive role of US President Donald Trump in the implementation of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline was noted. It was emphasized that the Memorandum of Understanding on the preparation of the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity”, as well as the Charter of Strategic Partnership, opens up new opportunities for our energy partnership in the light of the current policy of the U.S. President aimed at restoring peace in the region. Regional energy links are an important component in strategic partnership relations, and in this regard, the importance of projects to ensure electricity flows between Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Central Asia and Europe was considered. The importance of strengthening dialogue and cooperation with the U.S. administration in the field of energy in the light of new realities and opportunities was emphasized.
The expansion of energy relations was also discussed at a meeting with Jennifer Miel, Vice President at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, as well as leading energy companies. It was noted that President Ilham Aliyev's vision is to protect and strengthen Azerbaijan's active role in the International Energy Market not only in hydrocarbons, but also in the fields of electricity, renewable energy and hydrogen. Our friendly and close cooperation with the United States creates great opportunities for expanding partnerships in these areas. The Chamber of Commerce highly appreciated Azerbaijan's contribution to the global energy agenda and its efforts in the field of green energy, expressed the intention to further develop cooperation with our country. To this end, it was noted that the chamber delegation will visit Azerbaijan in February next year and energy cooperation will be one of the main priorities.
