Azerbaijan–Georgia (country) relations

Traces of a very powerful explosion are visible on the sea floor around the pipeline

The upcoming 31 December will remain a key date in the history of gas supplies in Bulgaria, for the first time in our recent history our country will start deliveries of natural gas from a new source - Azerbaijan. Deliveries are planned to be carried out via the new gas connection between Bulgaria and Greece, which will be completed in the next few months.

The foreign ministers of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia assessed progress made in trilateral cooperation and discussed recent regional and global developments in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Dec. 23. 

The southern gas corridor is at the heart of diversification not only for Bulgaria but also for the whole of Europe, Energy Minister Temenujka Petkova told Darik. The role of Bulgaria is key via the connector with Greece, because new gas supplies will be provided from the Caspian region, she explained.

Azerbaijan inaugurated on May 29 a pipeline that will eventually create the first direct route to transport gas from one of the world's largest fields to Europe bypassing Russia.

The Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) project will enter into service as of June 12, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak said on May 11.

Azerbaijan aims to finalize the Southern Gas Corridor by 2020, Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev has said.

The Southern Gas Corridor includes the South Caucasus Pipeline, Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).      

The World Bank's board of directors approved loans of $400 million each for Turkey and Azerbaijan late on Dec. 20 for the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) project. 

Gas flow on the Shah Deniz pipeline carrying natural gas from Azerbaijan was halted by an explosion in Turkey on Aug. 24 evening, energy sector officials said, with one saying it was thought Kurdish militants had sabotaged the pipeline.

Banks are arranging USD 1B in financing for, a key offshore gas field project in Azerbaijan seen as crucial for Europe's energy security, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has said.