What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in? 

The legal team consistently provides legal opinions and reviews regarding the many contracts to which TANAP is a party. Additionally, it oversees and coordinates the company’s lawsuits. In addition to its regular tasks, the legal team has been particularly instrumental in the following transactions: actively providing assistance with the engineering, procurement, and construction processes from bidding to contract execution. The legal team also provided indispensable input regarding the new practices being established within the scope of our core business of gas transportation activities.

The team has also provided valuable inputs in drafting and negotiating agreements related to this new approach. I am very impressed to see that my team has been effective in proposing solutions and securing agreements between the parties. Furthermore, the legal team led the process on very important issues relating to the actions to be taken by the company in relation to corporate matters and played an important role in demonstrating the process to the relevant parties. Moreover, the legal team has been heavily involved with the company’s digitalization and compliance process, particularly in relation to the protection of personal data.

What strategic priorities are guiding you and your team in 2024?

In the last few years, the energy landscape of Europe has been significantly impacted, making it a top priority for the EU to diversify energy sources. This has inevitably increased the significance of Azerbaijani gas as an alternative to Russian gas, and therefore, the Southern Gas Corridor, of which TANAP is a part. The increasing energy demand and consequently the rise in Azerbaijan’s natural gas exports to Europe have compelled TANAP to seriously consider capacity increase scenarios. Therefore, our team’s first and foremost strategic priority has been and will be focusing on the legal impacts of a potential expansion in our system or gas corridor. Additionally, the need for the diversification of energy sources has resulted in the usage of hydrogen and hydrogen blending. Our team is keeping updated with global developments in this topic as well.

Do you have a cause, business-related or otherwise, that you are passionate about?

As an in-house lawyer, I am passionate about promoting legal awareness and taking proactive legal measures within our company. My goal is to empower other employees with the knowledge and understanding of important legal concepts that impact our business operations. To achieve this, I focus on conducting regular legal training sessions and developing standard contract templates.

Organising workshops or seminars to educate our employees on various legal topics, such as contract law, commercial law, data protection law, and employment regulations, will enhance their understanding of legal issues relevant to their roles and responsibilities. Following the success of the contracts law training we conducted in 2023, I am motivated to organise similar trainings this year.

Creating a library of pre-approved contract templates tailored to specific business purposes, which we are currently working on, will save time, ensure consistency in contractual agreements, and protect our company’s interests.

By prioritising these initiatives aligned with promoting legal awareness throughout our company, I aim to mitigate risks effectively, identify potential issues early on, and facilitate timely resolutions.