Former MP Roman Gotsiridze warns that Georgia’s energy security is facing serious challenges due to recent government decisions that shifted the country from internationally protected gas supplies to old, unreliable infrastructure. This change has significantly increased Russia’s Gazprom share in domestic gas consumption.
Gotsiridze highlights the issue with the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum (Shah Deniz) pipeline. Georgia ceded its allocated portion of the pipeline, which previously provided transit fees and discounted gas, to Azerbaijan. As a result, the country now relies on the outdated Kazakhi-Saguramo pipeline, which is technically unreliable and passes through challenging terrain near occupied areas.
He also points to a fourfold increase in gas imports from Russia since 2020. “We are effectively being tied to Gazprom. This is not just a political alignment issue, but also a matter of corruption, as all agreements with Gazprom are confidential and involve private interests,” Gotsiridze said.
According to Gotsiridze, Georgia lost its leverage while Azerbaijan benefited. The 1.7 billion cubic meters ceded to Azerbaijan is sold in Europe at higher prices, leaving Georgia dependent on an unsafe, politically sensitive pipeline. He concludes that these energy concessions are a direct result of government weakness and international isolation, putting the country in a precarious energy trap.
