U.S. sends special envoy to mull energy cooperation with Azerbaijan
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received a delegation led by Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs at the US Department of State Amos Hochstein on December 15.
Hailing the bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and the United States, the sides expressed confidence that they will further expand. Prospects for energy cooperation between the countries were also high on agenda during the meeting.
Energy cooperation between the countries is among the areas of top priority.The U.S. has repeatedly expressed its strong diplomatic and political support to the Southern Gas Corridor project, as economically strong and more energy-secure Europe is in the interest of the United States.
The project represents an important contribution to global energy security which is critical to sustaining economic growth. The United States sees the importance of the project in this wider context.
Azerbaijani President earlier hailed U.S. backing of the project during his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington, saying that it would have needed more time and effort to get the project going without strong U.S. support.
Hochstein earlier called the project a “long-standing priority for the U.S. government”, mentioning that the scalability of the project is one of its major features.
The project will provide Europe with a new source and route of supply for natural gas, which is one of Europe’s main sources of energy.
Azerbaijan’s Energy Minister Natig Aliyev earlier noted the importance of the high-level representation of the United States at the 3rd consultative council of ministers on the SGC project, mentioning that the high level participation of the country will give a strong political support to the project.
After Azerbaijan gained independence in 1991, Washington established diplomatic relations with Baku in 1992. The two countries enjoy a strong strategic partnership founded on shared values and interests. The U.S. is one of the largest investors in Azerbaijan.
The two countries are represented in a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank. Azerbaijan also is an observer to the Organization of American States and the World Trade Organization and a participant in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Partnership for Peace program.