Greek Energy and Environment Minister Konstantinos Skrekas stressed that Azerbaijan is an important and reliable partner for the supply of natural gas, which can significantly contribute to the replacement of a part of Russian natural gas imports and the security of Europe's supply.

At a meeting in Baku, Parviz Shahbazov, the Azerbaijani Minister of Energy, Samir Sharifov, the Minister of Finance, and Konstantinos Skrekas, the Greek Minister of Environment and Energy, discussed how to strengthen bilateral cooperation between Greece and Azerbaijan in the field of natural gas within the framework of the European strategy to double the capacity of the Southern Corridor by 10 billion cubic meters per year after 2027.

In addition, the TAP pipeline, which supplies 20% of Greece's gas needs with gas from Azerbaijan, was mentioned by the Greek Minister of Environment and Energy.

The ministers also mentioned the Greek-Bulgarian IGB pipeline's significance for Greece and Southeast Europe.

As previously reported by Caucasus Watch, according to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), which will transit Azerbaijani gas, significantly boosts the common European aim of energy independence. "Today is a crucial day for Greece and Bulgaria, as well as for the entire Balkan region and all of Europe. Because we will not just open a gas pipeline; we will also build an energy bridge connecting the South and the North, bringing Greece and Bulgaria closer together,” he said.