11:13 - 30.01.2026

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January 30, Fineko/abc.az. Energy ministers from countries participating in the Vertical Gas Corridor initiative, which supplies natural gas from Greece to Southeastern Europe and Ukraine, will meet in Washington at the end of February.

ABC.AZ reports that the relevant statement was made by Greek Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou and U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy for Europe, Eurasia, Africa, and the Middle East Joshua Volz during their speeches at the Athens Energy Summit.

The statements were distributed by the forum's organizers.

Volz emphasized that the project brings together countries that have historically not cooperated, and this is precisely the main challenge: "Designing and laying pipelines through the mountains is the easy part. The hard part is convincing partners to commit. If the project isn't commercially viable, it won't be profitable for anyone."

According to him, the necessary coordination covers the route from Greece to Ukraine, and all participants must see a clear economic benefit: "This is not a charity project. The corridor is already operational, but so far, only a few drops of gas are flowing. We want to move towards a real gas flow."

He announced that a ministerial meeting will be held in Washington at the end of February to discuss existing issues, and consultations to advance the project will continue intensively and on an ongoing basis until the end of the year.