Germany aims to deepen energy partnership with Azerbaijan: Chancellor

Germany plans to deepen its energy cooperation with Azerbaijan, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday after talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

"Since we stopped gas imports from Russia 4.5 years ago, we have naturally been looking for new sources of supply, and Azerbaijan plays an important role in this regard. This is an economically attractive prospect for us. We also want to try to intensify our cooperation, particularly in the area of energy supply, over the next few years," Merz said after a joint news conference with Aliyev in Berlin.

"We have also sought out and established other sources of supply, and in this regard, I am once again grateful to President Aliyev that we were able to discuss this and also explore the possibilities for an even larger volume of gas imports from Azerbaijan. This is, after all, part of our joint agreements and will also be the subject of further discussions we will hold with Azerbaijan," he added.

Merz pointed out that he "received some very interesting information from President Aliyev about the expansion of (the Southern Gas Corridor) infrastructure."

"From Germany's perspective, we have a strong interest in diversifying our gas imports. Azerbaijan is one of the few countries in the region with an energy surplus that is, it produces more than it consumes mand for that reason, Azerbaijan is an attractive partner country for us," the chancellor said.

Azerbaijan's gas could help ensure Germany's gas supplies, "particularly in southern Germany," he added.

Merz stressed his country was "serious about expanding relations between Germany and Azerbaijan."