BAKU, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Azerbaijan aims to increase its gas production by at least 10 billion cubic meters within the next two to three years, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Wednesday.
At a joint press conference with European Council President Antonio Costa, Aliyev recalled that he had said that Azerbaijan is planning to increase gas production this year, according to the official presidential website.
"We'll start producing gas from a new field. And in two or three years from now, if everything goes according to the schedule, we will have a minimum of 10 billion cubic meters of gas more than what we have today," the Azerbaijani president said.
Aliyev added that Azerbaijan aims to have six to eight gigawatts of renewable energy capacity ready for export within five to six years. "Now we are working with European partners on transmission lines, on subsea cables, and on other segments of energy infrastructure."
Highlighting Azerbaijan's growing role in European energy security, Aliyev said that 10 members of the European Union receive gas from Azerbaijan.
The Azerbaijani president also noted that in January, the European Union accounted for half of the country's trade turnover, making it its top trading partner.
