Elchin Amirbeyov: Instability around us underscores the importance of seizing the historic opportunity

Since 2015, our countries have been linked by a Strategic Partnership Agreement. Of course, we have traditional areas of cooperation such as energy, but we believe that in other areas, such as industry, agriculture, and tourism, there is still very significant untapped potential.

As reported by Oxu.Az, this was stated by Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan for Special Assignments Elchin Amirbayov, who is on a visit to the Czech Republic, in an interview with CNN Prima News television channel (the Czech-language affiliate of CNN - ed.), commenting on the development of Czech-Azerbaijani relations.

According to him, the high-level dialogue between the two countries is developing successfully.

"We are pleased that the new Prime Minister of the Czech Republic and the President of Azerbaijan met earlier this year at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Therefore, I think that in the coming weeks and months we will see more active engagement at the highest level, accompanied by visits and intensive contacts.

On one hand, we value relations with the Czech Republic for your strong industrial base, technological expertise, and important role as a member of the EU and NATO. At the same time, today Azerbaijan can be useful to the Czech Republic as a gateway to such important regions as the South Caucasus and Central Asia. For decades, we have played a very important role in ensuring Europe's energy security, and we have also become a key country in terms of regional connectivity.

For this reason, I think we can speak of very productive and mutually beneficial cooperation. If we combine the Czech Republic's technical know-how with the role that Azerbaijan can play thanks to its geoeconomic and geopolitical position, infrastructure, and its role in the energy sector, I believe together we can achieve much more," he emphasized.

Responding to the journalist's question about energy security against the backdrop of events in Ukraine and Iran, the Special Representative of the President noted that Azerbaijan can further expand its energy portfolio.

"Along with such a traditional area as the export of crude oil from Azerbaijan - I think it is fair to note that approximately one-third of the oil used by the Czech Republic comes from Azerbaijan - this cooperation can be expanded to other directions as well. It can also cover the sphere of natural gas. As you know, today Azerbaijan is one of the world's leading countries in terms of the number of countries to which it exports blue fuel. Thus, we currently export natural gas to 16 countries worldwide, 10 of which are members of the European Union. Austria and Germany have very recently joined this list.

Because of this, I believe that this issue can also become a topic for discussion. We can also expand our energy portfolio to cover renewable energy sources, as Azerbaijan has great potential in the field of solar, wind, and electric energy. We have some projects that we are discussing with some EU members and countries of the region about how to diversify energy sources for Europe.

Therefore, I think this is possible. But in order to increase gas supplies to new countries, additional investments in field development and expansion of the throughput capacity of existing infrastructure are required. The Southern Gas Corridor, through which we export natural gas to Europe, is already fully booked. We need additional capacity, and for this, the EU and Azerbaijan need to work together," he stated.

Speaking about Azerbaijan's aspiration to become a long-term energy partner of Europe, E. Amirbayov emphasized that this goal has already been achieved.

"Since 2006, Azerbaijan has played the role of an alternative source of crude oil for many countries that were excessively dependent on a single source. And since 2020, Azerbaijan began exporting natural gas to countries located along the Southern Gas Corridor.

You mentioned certain instability and upheavals in our immediate neighborhood. I think this situation only underscores for some countries the importance of finding alternative energy sources, and Azerbaijan is ready to continue playing the role of a reliable partner. Because, despite all the market volatility and geopolitical upheavals, Azerbaijan remains a very responsible and reliable partner. I believe this will continue to be the case. We are not a crisis-driven supplier; rather, we position ourselves as a long-term reliable, predictable partner contributing to global energy security," he added.

The Special Representative of the President also assessed the situation related to Russia's role in the South Caucasus region in recent years.

"Of course, geography is a very important element here. When we talk about the countries of the South Caucasus, we have always been and will always be neighbors of Russia. The conflict with Ukraine has certainly taken a lot of Russia's attention and time. But in Azerbaijani-Russian relations, we strive to build mutually beneficial, pragmatic, and predictable ties based on mutual respect that take into account the interests of both sides. As I already said, this is Azerbaijan's position toward all its neighbors, as we have always chosen a multi-vector, pragmatic, and independent foreign policy, and the main criterion for any given relationship is our assessment of national interests," he said.

Touching also on relations between Azerbaijan and the United States, E. Amirbayov said that President Donald Trump's second term has opened a new page in bilateral relations.

"Today we can say that these ties have reached a peak in quality and scope. Of course, we are talking about the documents signed during the visit of Vice President JD Vance to Azerbaijan. This was a charter on strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and the United States, covering many areas.

Of course, these areas were chosen based on mutual decisions and taking into account the interests of both sides. The second important element of these relations is the positive role that the United States and the current administration are playing in facilitating peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia. You know that after a 30-year conflict between the two countries, in August of last year, President Donald Trump invited President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan to a summit that concluded with the initialing of a peace agreement by the foreign ministers of both countries.

In addition, they signed a trilateral declaration that spoke about the importance of strengthening the spirit of peace. The main issue was the opening of communications. The United States supported this strategically important project - the restoration of communications between Armenia and Azerbaijan and ensuring unimpeded transit between the main part of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic through the territory of Armenia. But it is not just about that. It is about creating in the future a new or alternative route that will connect East Asia with Western Europe via the Caspian Sea and the South Caucasus.

I think if you put all of this together, it becomes clear how important relations with the United States are for Azerbaijan. We are ready to continue this positive momentum, and I believe 2026 will be decisive for the South Caucasus region. All the uncertainty, instability, and conflicts around us simply underscore the importance of Azerbaijan