European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attends the official welcome to the G7 leaders summit at Bavaria's Schloss Elmau castle, near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany June 26, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/Pool
Brussels/18.07.22/Reuters: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will arrive travel in Baku on Monday to seek more natural gas from Azerbaijan, an EU official said, as the European Union seeks to reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies.
"With Russia continuing to weaponize its energy supplies, diversification of our energy imports is a priority for the EU," the European Commission said in a Twitter post. "President von der Leyen and Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson will arrive in Azerbaijan tomorrow to further strengthen cooperation."
According to a draft document seen by Reuters on July 14, the Commission proposed that EU countries strike a deal with Azerbaijan to raise natural gas imports and support the expansion of the pipeline to that end.
The Commission was not immediately available for comment. EU governments have already agreed to a gradual oil embargo on Russia.
Meanwhile, Russian gas transit through Poland has stopped this year, and gas supplies through Ukraine have been cut because of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Germany, the world's fourth-largest economy, is preparing for all scenarios, including a complete shutdown of Russian gas supplies, even after the usual 10-day maintenance period for the giant Nord Stream 1 pipeline ends later this week.
Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's Ambassador to international bodies in Vienna, said on Twitter Sunday, "Russia has never refused to continue supplying natural gas to Europe and is in full compliance with its contractual obligations."-0-
Politics
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On 23 November at the COP29 climate conference in Baku, eco-activists from different countries held a protest action against the failure of countries to agree on climate finance.
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On the eve of the closing of the COP29 climate conference in Baku, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has drawn attention to the criminal cases of journalists detained in Azerbaijan.
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Negotiations at the 29th session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Baku have been extended until November 24, a source in the UNFCCC Secretariat told the Turan news agency. According to the source, participants aim to finalize and sign the concluding documents by that date.
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According to the Turkish newspaper Sabah, officials from the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office's Anti-Smuggling Unit have detained an Azerbaijani citizen with a large shipment of gold. The detention took place near the Vadi İstanbul shopping center in the Sarıyer district, where a taxi was stopped. During the search, 70 kg of gold was found. The Azerbaijani citizen in the vehicle claimed ownership of the cargo and also stated that he was a diplomat. The investigation by the prosecutor's office is ongoing, reports Sabah newspaper. The media outlet does not disclose the name of the "diplomat," only his initials – M.G.Ş. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has declined to comment on the situation.
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