Azerbaijan and the European Union have signed a deal for long-term gas supplies to the EU. The agreement is to help establish a southern gas corridor decreasing European dependency on Russian gas.
The European Union on Thursday signed a major deal to import natural gas from Azerbaijan. The move is considered a significant step toward curbing Europe's reliance on Russia.
"This is a major breakthrough," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement after signing the deal with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev.
"This new supply route will enhance the energy security of European consumers and businesses."
The deal is a major step towards the realization of what's been termed the Southern Gas Corridor, a system of several pipelines to bring Caspian Sea and Middle Eastern gas to Europe, Deutsche Welle reported.
"This corridor is in our shared strategic interest," Barroso said. "Azerbaijan wants to diversify its exports as much as the EU wants to diversify its imports."
