Energy minister Giorgos Stathakis plans to engage in a series of talks with highly ranked European Commission officials, fellow ministers as well as financial institution officials at the 3rd Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council, scheduled to take place this Thursday in Baku.
Besides talks related to the progress of Southern Gas Corridor projects, which include the TAP project to run across northern Greece, the country’s energy minister is also expected to hold discussions, including unofficial, on a wide range of issues, given the event’s long and varied list of participants.
The Southern Gas Corridor is a Brussels initiative promoting natural gas supply from Caspian and Middle Eastern regions to Europe, the aim being to reduce Europe’s dependency on Russian gas.
Key EU energy policy figures, especially for southeastern Europe, will attend the event in the Azerbaijani capital.
Thursday’s Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council follows two previous one-day sessions, the first in February 2015, and the second in 2016, also in February, where a joint declaration was signed by that event’s twelve participating energy ministers.
Leading Azerbaijani officials, including energy minister Natig Aliyev, counterparts from Georgia and Albania, as well as government officials from Balkan countries, will also take part in this Thursday’s Baku meeting.
In a recent interview with Azerbaijan’s Trend News Agency, Stathakis, Greece’s energy minister, acknowledged that complex geopolitical developments are troubling the government’s plans to establish Greece as a regional energy hub.