President Ilham Aliyev received the Chief Executive Officer of BP, Murray Auchincloss, on May 12.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, the head of state congratulated Murray Auchincloss on his appointment as the Chief Executive Officer of BP and expressed confidence that the successful cooperation between SOCAR and BP would continue to flourish under his leadership.
President Ilham Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan and BP share a unique partnership history spanning over 30 years. The head of state emphasized that the revenues generated from all projects implemented during this period have primarily been utilized for the socio-economic development of Azerbaijan.
Highlighting the increasing number of projects between Azerbaijan and BP, the President stated that this demonstrates the mutually beneficial nature of the cooperation and underlined the strategic character of the partnership.
Expressing his gratitude for the congratulations, Murray Auchincloss said he felt honored to be in Baku. The BP CEO specifically emphasized the visionary leadership of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and President Ilham Aliyev in directing oil and gas revenues toward the country's development, noting the significant investments in Baku's infrastructure and road networks.
The head of state observed that while oil and gas revenues can sometimes lead to social inequality, in Azerbaijan's case, they have driven national progress. Recalling the signing of the "Contract of the Century" shortly after the restoration of independence, President Ilham Aliyev spoke of the difficult situation following the First Garabagh War, including the loss of territories and the resulting humanitarian disaster. The President noted that the national budget was at zero at the time, and the only way forward was to attract major international companies and convince them to invest. In this regard, President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude to BP for the trust shown during those challenging years.
During the conversation, the parties discussed BP's energy projects in Azerbaijan, including renewable energy initiatives, and touched upon the importance of projects implemented by the company in the liberated territories. The meeting also highlighted Azerbaijan's role in ensuring European energy security and explored future prospects for SOCAR-BP cooperation.
The partnership between Azerbaijan and BP began in 1994 with the signing of the "Contract of the Century," which laid the foundation for the country's modern energy strategy. Since then, BP has remained the largest foreign investor in Azerbaijan's energy sector, leading major projects such as the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) oil field development and the Shah Deniz gas project, which is central to the Southern Gas Corridor supplying energy to Europe.
