Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expects that "green" electricity exports from Azerbaijan to Europe will start soon.

"Azerbaijan is becoming a more important partner for the European Union in terms of energy supplies," Aliyev said after talks with Latvian President Egils Levits in Baku on Wednesday.

"The European Commission has always viewed us as a reliable partner," he said.

"Today, we export oil, natural gas, electricity, petrochemical industry products, and petroleum products [to Europe]. I hope that we will soon begin exporting 'green' energy too," Aliyev said.

As reported earlier, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary signed a strategic partnership agreement in Bucharest on December 17, 2022 to lay a 1,195 km Black Sea Energy underwater cable with capacity of 1,000 MW. The cable will supply "green" electricity produced in Azerbaijan to Romania via Georgia and the Black Sea for subsequent delivery to Hungary and the rest of Europe.

An ongoing feasibility study for the project is expected to be completed in September 2023. Laying the cable itself will take 3-4 years.

The European Commission plans to provide EUR 2.3 billion to lay the cable, which will be the world's longest one.