Greece is ready to support the expansion of TAP if needed

Greece is ready to back the expansion of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), if needed, in order to meet growing energy demands, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Greece to Azerbaijan, Christos Kapodistrias, said at an official reception held in Baku on the occasion of Greece's National Day, Report informs.

The diplomat emphasized that TAP is Greece's third largest natural gas importer and accounts for approximately 25 percent of the country's total gas imports.

"Greece is also ready to back the expansion of TAP, if needed, in order to meet growing energy demands. Additionally, looking ahead, Greece focuses on the future of energy infrastructure, noting that today’s gas pipelines could eventually be converted to transport hydrogen as well," Kapodistrias said.

The ambassador stressed that IGB is an equally important natural gas pipeline which "strategically unites Greece with their Bulgarian friends and has the potential to safeguard energy security for Romania, Moldova and, eventually, for the much tested Ukraine."

Kapodistrias noted that Azerbaijan-Greece cooperation in the energy sector is already a success story:

"The Trans Adriatic Pipeline, a crucial part of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), is a strategic infrastructure, bringing gas from Azerbaijan to Europe, in a period, when the continent has been facing significant energy supply challenges. TAP has been safely transporting natural gas from Azerbaijan to Greece, Albania, Italy, and through the Interconnector Greece Bulgaria (IGC), to Bulgaria, Romania, in a sustainably reliable way for over three years now."