Ilkham Aliev: Azerbaijani gas to be the only new source of gas for European consumers in the future

On Thursday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev took part in the meeting of the Consultative Council for the Southern Gas Corridor in Baku.

The Head of state delivered a speech at the first meeting of the Advisory Board of the Southern Gas Corridor.

President Ilham Aliyev thanked the leaders of the participating countries for supporting the initiative of the current meeting in Baku. The Azerbaijani President stressed that the meeting took place in a very good time - a year of practical implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor project, which was important. President Ilham Aliyev expressed confidence that the discussion, held during the meeting, exchange of views would contribute to the successful implementation of the project.

The Head of state gave a detailed description of activities and projects, carried out since the beginning of independence and related to oil strategy, author of which is the great leader Heydar Aliyev. President Ilham Aliyev noted that in 2011 a Joint Declaration on the Southern Gas Corridor was signed with the then President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, and in this document Azerbaijan was defined as a country which makes a major contribution to the Southern Gas Corridor and realizes it. The Azerbaijani President stressed that the TANAP and TAP projects were an important milestone in the realization of Southern Gas Corridor. It was noted that exactly 20 years after the signing of the "Contract of the Century" – on September 20, 2014, the foundation for Southern Gas Corridor was laid.