Azerbaijan has strategic cooperation with EU countries, said the chairman of the board of the Center of Analysis of International Relations at the international seminar Visegrad Group countries and Azerbaijan, APA reports.
According to him, there is strategic cooperation among Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Azerbaijan, and this cooperation is based on overlapping interests and shared security concerns, along with a certain shared history.
At the opening of the seminar, Slovakian Ambassador Milan Lajčak said that most of the countries that gained independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union faced almost common challenges and problems, including joining the EU, transitioning from a planned economy to a market economy implemented during the USSR, and security issues. was
In his speech, the diplomat informed about the common history of the Visegrad group countries: "Russia's aggressive war in Ukraine has also affected the dynamics of cooperation between the Visegrad countries."
In his speech, the Slovak diplomat also touched on the economic development of Azerbaijan.
At the event, the problems related to the energy crisis and their solutions against the backdrop of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the challenges for the future technological transformation for the countries of the Visegrad group and Azerbaijan were discussed.
Sandor Seremet, the senior researcher of the Hungarian Institute of Foreign Affairs and Trade (IFAT), spoke at the panel entitled "Visegrad Group countries and Azerbaijan against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war: problems related to the energy crisis and the search for their solutions".
He said that the countries of Central and Eastern Europe were significantly dependent on Russia's residual energy - gas, until the pre-war period.
The Hungarian researcher attributed this to several reasons. He said this was due to the availability of Soviet legacy transport routes, the need to build new infrastructure, affordability and the lack of alternative suppliers and routes.
In his presentation, the Hungarian researcher reported on the annual domestic gas consumption of his country and said that 72 percent of households in Hungary consume gas.
Saying that after the Ukrainian war, the EU promoted the import of liquefied gas as a counter-alternative, Seremet said that currently 8 LNG terminals are being built in Hungary, and 38 projects have been presented.
He spoke about green energy as an alternative and mentioned the signing of the memorandum of understanding between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Hungary and Romania regarding the initiative aimed at transferring green energy from the South Caucasus to Europe through the Black Sea.
Ali Shahbazov, head of SOCAR's Foreign Relations Department, who spoke at the panel, said that the global crisis and conflict had a serious impact on energy prices in the international market.
Ali Shahbazov reminded that Europe announced an ambitious plan to get rid of Russia's energy dependence, and accelerated the transition to green energy.
Emphasizing that his official country is among the EU's alternative suppliers of energy resources, the Azerbaijani noted that a memorandum of understanding on strategic cooperation in the field of energy was signed between Azerbaijan and the EU in July of last year.
The SOCAR official emphasized that Azerbaijan has great potential in green energy, especially wind energy, and added that the memorandum of understanding signed with the EU created a basis for close cooperation in the field of green energy.
Ali Shahbazov pointed out that the memorandum signed in Bulgaria is another step in the direction of Azerbaijan's contribution to strengthening Europe's energy security.
He said that Azerbaijan will continue to be a reliable partner in Europe's energy supply.
The Chargé d'affaires of the Czech Republic in Azerbaijan said in his speech that his country will chair the Visegrad Group from July this year, and one of the priority issues on the agenda during this period will be deepening the region's cooperation with the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership countries.
He also said that strengthening energy security and working with alternative possibilities will be on the agenda during the Czech presidency.
He spoke about the role of the Middle Corridor in his speech.
The Czech diplomat said that Russia's war in Ukraine and sanctions against Russia have completely weakened the role of the traditional corridor between West and East (Asia), in which case the Middle Corridor is the best alternative.
The Czech diplomat emphasized the role of Azerbaijan and other countries in the Middle Corridor.
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