European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday hailed Azerbaijan as a “critical” and “reliable” energy supplier as she announced a deal with Baku to expand the Southern Gas Corridor, the 3,500-kilometer pipeline that brings gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe. . Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, EU officials have been touring global fossil fuel producers in search of alternative suppliers, amid growing fears that the Kremlin will completely cut off gas flows to Europe. Flanked by Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, von der Leyen said the EU was diversifying away from Russia and moving “towards more reliable, trustworthy partners”, adding that she was glad to count Azerbaijan among them. “You are indeed a critical energy partner for us and have always been reliable.” Aliyev, who has presided over rampant corruption and a crackdown on activists and independent media during his 19 years in power, described the energy memorandum of understanding signed with the EU as “a road map for the future”. According to the agreement, gas supplies to the EU from Azerbaijan are set to reach 20 billion cubic meters per year in 2027, up from 8 billion today. Supplies are expected to grow to 12 billion by 2023. The plan to more than double existing capacity in five years “will require significant investment to expand the pipeline network of the Southern Gas Corridor,” the memorandum states. He adds that both sides will try to develop infrastructure, “to the extent possible”, ready to convert to renewable gas. Von der Leyen said she discussed with Aliyev his country’s “enormous potential” for renewable energy sources such as offshore wind power and so-called green hydrogen. He also urged Azerbaijan to join 119 countries in signing the Global Methane Pledge, a pact to cut the powerful greenhouse gas by nearly a third over the next decade. The energy agreement is expected to pave the way for deeper cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan, in trade, aviation and the development of the port of Baku. Human Rights Watch said the EU should not have signed the memorandum, nor concluded a new bilateral agreement, without insisting on political reforms: the release of many political prisoners and changes to laws that heavily restrict non-governmental organizations and media. Azerbaijan is using oil and gas “to silence the EU on fundamental rights issues,” said Philippe Dam, acting EU director at Human Rights Watch. “The reality is that Azerbaijani authorities are notorious for cracking down on civil society activists who investigate corruption, especially when it comes to oil and gas.” According to Human Rights Watch, nearly 40 opposition leaders, journalists and civil society leaders were released from prison in March, but dozens more remain unjustly imprisoned. The NGO has also reported multiple cases of torture and ill-treatment in custody. “The EU should not say that a country is trustworthy when it restricts the activities of civil society groups and crushes political dissent,” Damm said. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST Other campaigners have accused the EU of undermining its climate goals while enriching authoritarians. “It is unusual that the EU seems intent on not learning from its current predicament and pushing for more pipelines that would tie us into gas in the long term,” said Barnaby Pace, senior gas campaigner at Global Witness. “A rapid push for renewable energy and home insulation should be the obvious answer to the crises facing Europe – and certainly not a repeat of the mistakes that got us to this point.” Eve Geddie, director of Amnesty International’s Brussels office, said: “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is a reminder that oppressive and unaccountable regimes are rarely reliable partners and that privileging short-term goals at the expense of human rights is a recipe for disaster.”
