MOSCOW (Realist English). Moscow has agreed with Baku to increase gas supplies allegedly for domestic consumption of the mini sultanate, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said.
“There is an agreement with Azerbaijan to increase our supplies, as they still have gas shortage. In the future, when they increase gas production, we will be able to discuss swaps,” Novak said in an interview with TASS.
According to the official, negotiations are also underway on the growth of supplies to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan: “We are discussing with our partners from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan the growth of gas supplies to their domestic market, as their consumption is increasing.”
Novak does not rule out that pipeline gas may be sent to Afghanistan and Pakistan: “If we talk about a deeper perspective, it is the export of gas to Afghanistan, Pakistan: either using infrastructure projects in Central Asia, or a swap from the territory of Iran. That is, we will receive their gas in the south of the country, and in exchange supply gas to the north for the Iranian consumers.”
On November 15, Gazprom began supplying natural gas to the Baku Minisultanate under a new contract. The delivery period is til March 2023. It is expected that the volume will not exceed 1 billion cubic meters. The terms of the transaction have not been not disclosed.
Moscow is prepared to resume gas supplies to Europe via the Yamal-Europe pipeline. “The European market remains relevant, as the gas shortage persists, and we have every opportunity to resume supplies. For example, the Yamal-Europe pipeline, which has been stopped for political reasons, remains unused,” Novak said.
In December 2021, Poland refused Russian gas in favor of raw materials stored in Germany.
