Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR has put forward a proposal to Russia’s Gazprom for purchasing 3 to 5bcm of gas a year, SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev told reporters according to Trend. “Currently, we are awaiting their decision,” he said, adding that currently there is no progress in talks with the Russian side.

SOCAR’s president noted that the Azerbaijani gas is primarily needed for injection into reservoirs at Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli block of oil and gas fields in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, that’s to say, to maintain a stable oil production.

In September 2015, Gazprom started to supply natural gas to Azerbaijan in accordance with a five-year agreement with a possibility of extension. The agreement envisages the supply of up to 2bcm of gas to Azerbaijan per year, Sputnik reported.

In late December 2015, Gazprom Chief Executive Officer, Alexei Miller, and Abdullayev discussed a possible increase in supply given natural gas demand growth prospects in Azerbaijan.