By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

Bulgaria will resume negotiations with Azerbaijan to increase gas supplies, Bulgarian Energy Minister Rosen Hristov said.

According to Hristov, the ministry will continue to find those volumes of gas that would be sufficient for the entire winter period.

"They [Azerbaijan] have gas, and the question is about the price. Efforts will be aimed at concluding medium-term contracts that would ensure the systematic supply of pipeline gas at competitive prices.

Further, the minister stressed that currently, Bulgaria is concerned about the constant price increase trend rather than the volume, because there are offers for the supply of gas.

Azerbaijan and Bulgaria agreed to supply 1 billion cubic meters of gas per year through the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria in 2021. However, because the ICGB was still under construction, Azerbaijani gas was delivered to Bulgaria via the Kulata-Sidirokastro interconnection point.

A cooperation memorandum has been signed between ICGB AD and TAP AG regarding joint actions in relation to the future connection of the IGB pipeline and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline.

The IGB project is critical in terms of increasing supply security and diversifying gas supplies for Bulgaria and the SEE region.