Publicat pe 04/07/2024

Bucharest, July 3^rd, 2024: The President of the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIR), Mr. Mihai Daraban, had a meeting on July 3^rd with H.E. Mr. Gudsi Osmanov, the Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Romania, aiming to strengthen bilateral economic relations.

CCIR President, Mr. Mihai Daraban, stated: “The Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is open to continuing the dialogue with the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan at all levels of cooperation to develop bilateral ties. Discussions on the AGRI project (Azerbaijan – Georgia – Romania Interconnector) for transporting natural gas from the Caspian region need to be resumed, as it could provide Europe with an alternative to Russian gas. This project should be included in the working agenda of the European Commission and Germany.”

Furthermore, President Daraban emphasized the importance of the Constanța area, which has significant potential due to its port and shipyard: “The Port of Constanța can offer at least a 60% reduction in transit time for naval transports on the Suez Canal – Port of Constanța route compared to the Port of Rotterdam. Additionally, the Danube Corridor represents an efficient alternative to road transport, facilitating the transit of approximately 18,000 tons of goods to the markets of Eastern and Central Europe in a single shipment, closely linked with the advantages offered by the Port of Constanța.”

H.E. Mr. Gudsi Osmanov, the Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Romania, stated: “We are interested in discussing the AGRI project at the leadership level of the Azerbaijani state, given the solid bilateral relations both politically and in the business environment.” Moreover, H.E. Mr. Ambassador Gudsi Osmanov provided a brief presentation about SOCAR and extended an invitation to the CCIR delegation for an official visit to Azerbaijan.

Background:

The State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) is a state-owned oil and natural gas company from Azerbaijan and is considered one of the largest oil companies in the world. It was founded on September 13, 1992, by Decree 200 issued by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, through the merger of two state oil companies following the nationalization of the Azerbaijani oil industry.