The Czech Republic seeks to ensure the transport of Azerbaijani gas and oil through Ukraine, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said in Montenegro in response to a question from Azerbaijani journalists, Ceske Noviny reports.
According to the prime minister, the transit of Azerbaijani gas was one of the topics of his May meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Armenia.
The article reports that the two government officials held talks on the eve of the May summit of the European Political Community (EPC), which they attended.
„I asked President Zelensky whether Ukraine would allow the transit of Azerbaijani oil and gas through its territory. He replied that it was possible,“ Babis told reporters.
The publication notes that in May Zelensky called his meeting with Babis “productive”.
“There is real potential for deepening our cooperation,“ the Ukrainian leader wrote on the social media platform X.
In his post, Zelensky, among other things, thanked the Czechs for their sincere support for Ukraine.
Babiš added that Prague must fulfill all agreements with Azerbaijan on gas supplies. According to him, Azerbaijan is currently one of the largest suppliers of oil to the Czech Republic.
He stressed that Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic are interested in expanding economic ties and are also negotiating the creation of joint ventures.
During a visit to Azerbaijan in April, Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlicek announced that the Czech Republic intends to purchase two billion cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan annually.
According to Havlicek, deliveries could begin between 2028 and 2029. The agreement has not yet been signed, but, as he noted, a contract has been promised and things are going very well.
Prime Minister Babis recently stated that ČEZ is striving to secure gas supplies.
It is noted that Hungary and Slovakia are the last EU countries dependent on Russian oil and gas. The European Union is trying to completely stop oil and natural gas imports from Russia by the end of 2027 to avoid helping Moscow finance the war.
The publication explains that oil and gas sales generate the largest revenue for the Russian budget.
Babiš's bilateral talks with Zelensky in Yerevan were their first meeting since Babis returned to the Czech government last December. He last met with the Ukrainian leader in 2019 in Kiev.