• An agreement was signed in Baku between Leonardo and the Azerbaijani oil company SOCAR, which is leading the construction of the new pipeline, a cornerstone of Europe’s energy strategy
• The agreement aims to ensure the physical and cyber security of the gas supplies and to improve the efficiency of Azerbaijan’s energy activities through advanced technologies

Italy and Azerbaijan intend to cooperate in the fields of security, automation and communications under a new agreement. Leonardo and Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR signed an accord in Baku on the sidelines of the third ministerial meeting of the Advisory Council of the Southern Gas Corridor.

The agreement expects to see Leonardo helping to enhance the security of energy supplies, both physically and in the cyber domain, and use technology to improve the efficiency of SOCAR’s projects. This will include for the new Southern Corridor gas pipeline, the construction of which is led by SOCAR, which will bring over 20 billion cubic metres of Azerbaijani gas to Europe each year.

The signing was attended by Carlo Calenda, Italy’s Minister of Economic Development, Giampaolo Cutillo, Italy’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan, and Mammad Ahmadzada, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Azerbaijan in Italy. 

The agreement is an important recognition of Leonardo’s commitment to building a long-term relationship with the Republic of Azerbaijan, including through the establishment of a presence in the country. It follows the meeting between Mauro Moretti, the Managing Director of Leonardo and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev during the conference on security held in Monaco between the 17-19 February.