Athens:The 6th meeting of the Joint Commission on Economic, Industrial, and Technological Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Greece took place in Athens, co-chaired by Azerbaijan’s Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov and Greece’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Theoharis Theoharis.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, the meeting underscored the impact of the meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in New York last year and the political consultations held in Athens this May. Discussions highlighted Azerbaijan’s increasing role in Europe’s energy security and the potential for expanded cooperation in energy and transport.
Bilateral trade between the two nations saw significant growth, with trade turnover increasing by 27.6 percent in 2025 and 25.35 percent in the first half of the current year. Both sides explored ways to enhance mutual investment, strengthen direct ties, and initiate joint projects between their private sectors. The Azerbaijan-Greece Business Forum, held alongside the meeting, was deemed crucial for these efforts.
The meeting covered various cooperation sectors, including trade, industry, energy, transport, agriculture, and digital technologies. Emphasis was placed on the Southern Gas Corridor’s strategic importance and the role of the Greece-Bulgaria Interconnector in diversifying Europe’s gas supplies. Azerbaijan’s gas exports to Greece totaled 1.1 bcm in 2025 and approximately 700 million cubic meters in the first eight months of this year. Since the Trans Adriatic Pipeline’s commissioning, 6 bcm of Azerbaijani gas has been delivered to Greece and 61.4 bcm to Europe. Renewable energy and green energy partnerships were also key discussion points, given Greece’s strategic role in Southeastern Europe’s energy framework.
In transport and logistics, transit freight between Azerbaijan and Greece rose by about 90 percent last year. The meeting also focused on enhancing connectivity between the South Caucasus, Europe, and the Eastern Mediterranean, including port cooperation and establishing direct air links.
Further discussions extended to cooperation in artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and space technologies, with positive assessments of partnerships between Azercosmos and the Hellenic Space Center. The meeting encouraged Greek companies to explore investment opportunities in Azerbaijan, especially within the Alat Free Economic Zone.
Concluding the session, the Protocol on the meeting’s outcomes and the Joint Action Plan on Tourism for 2026-2028 were signed, reinforcing the commitment to deepen bilateral cooperation.