By Trend

Amid the current energy crisis that the EU is facing, Azerbaijan stands as a reliable supplier, Tomasz Poreba, a member of the Transport and Tourism Committee of the European Parliament, told Trend in an exclusive interview.

“The EU has made a lot of mistakes in being totally dependent on Russian energy sources, and now it is time to change it. Azerbaijan is a great choice as a reliable supplier," he said.

"Poland has fortunately predicted the situation that the EU is facing now. In 2015 we immediately started to construct new LNG pipelines, mostly from Denmark and Norway. We have also constructed a gas port. Today Poland is the only country in the EU completely independent from Russia’s supplies. So this is a good example for the supply diversification," he explained.

"Getting gas from Azerbaijan is an absolutely unique opportunity. Having the Southern Gas Corridor, we can easily connect Poland both with our Baltic Pipeline, and the gas port,” he said.

As a president of the New Direction think-tank, Poreba plans to organize a debate in this regard together with the Azerbaijan’s Center of Analysis of International Relations.

According to the parliamentarian, the EU also strongly supports Azerbaijan’s efforts in developing its renewable energy sector in order to achieve net zero target and stay on track with the global climate change issues. Renewables sector, with solar PV and wind energy in particular, is a very popular branch of production in Poland.

Speaking further, Poreba noted that the scale of innovation and developments that he has seen arriving in Azerbaijan is impressive.

“This is my first time in Baku. I am really impressed about how Azerbaijan and its capital are developing. This is a really promising path. Baku is also very dear to my heart, because a lot of Poles before the Bolsheviks time were expelled from Poland and found a refuge in Baku. Let me also remind about Polish architects legacy to Baku development. Architects like Kazimierz Skorewicz, Józef Ploszko and Eugeniusz Skibinski left their marks designing beautiful buildings in Baku. Moreover, there is a novel by a Polish writer Stefan Zeromski called “The Coming Spring”, which is telling the story of a young Pole who finds a peaceful living for himself in Baku. So, Polish-Azerbaijani relations have been this close for a very long time,” he said.

Poreba was also among the foreign officials who visited Azerbaijan's liberated lands.

“When I first saw the volume of destruction in Karabakh I was shocked. Armenian presence of 30 years has left Karabakh as a “ghost” region basically, with ruined houses and destroyed cities and villages. The most devastating issue is millions of land mines left that complicate the restoration works even more. This shows what humans can do to one another, and it is devastating. I think everyone should see the scale of the Armenian destruction with their own eyes. For me personally it was a very emotional visit, coming from Poland, which has also been ruined completely after the World War II,” he noted.

However, at the same, there have been a lot of optimistic and encouraging talks with the representatives of the Azerbaijani government regarding plans and ideas for Karabakh’s restoration, the politician noted.

“For example, there are a lot of opportunities for transport connectivity development. I have visited the newly-build airport in Fuzuli and saw project plans for other two airports in Karabakh. This is really remarkable, how fast these projects have been developing and coming to life,” he added.

As Poreba stated, transport connectivity is crucial in terms of Karabakh’s restoration, and also for Azerbaijan as a whole.

“Azerbaijan, through the Zangazur corridor in particular, could connect to the Via Carpatia road. This is a highway network connecting Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, and Türkiye, which is planned to be operational by 2025. This will open an opportunity for Azerbaijan to be connected to Europe from South to North through an alternative road. Now Azerbaijan can take an opportunity to develop its infrastructure to the greater extent,” he said.

Poreba went on to add that Azerbaijan is a very important business partner for Poland.

“Azerbaijan is unique in terms of having organic food, in contrary to the EU. If Azerbaijan will manage to keep free-of-GMO food, the country will become a very valuable partner not only for Poland, but to the whole Europe. Azerbaijani organic food could be absolutely delivered to Europe as an alternative source. It is also important to exchange practices, knowledge and know-how between Poland and Azerbaijan. Poland can also offer its modern technologies in the sphere,” he said.

According to the parliamentarian, e-commerce is also a really promising sector for Polish companies in Azerbaijan.

“I am absolutely in favor of Azerbaijani-Polish cooperation in education. Although, the partnership between Azerbaijani and Polish universities can be stronger, and I will encourage my colleagues to raise the issue and boost it further. Considering different cultures it is really important to work on the establishing of people-to-people contacts. Tourism sector is also very important in this regard. With Polish LOT Airlines launching direct flights from Warsaw to Baku this cooperation will develop even more,” Poreba said.

“In general, this is a great moment for us today to strengthen our cooperation. As a Polish parliamentarian I will put efforts regarding strengthening the cooperation between Polish and Azerbaijani businesses. There is already a permanent contact between our governments. Azerbaijan is a very important partner for Poland, and there is no doubt that having loyal, frank cooperation will be a win-win policy for both sides,” he said.