BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 6. Azerbaijan exported 2.835 billion cubic meters of natural gas in gaseous form to Italy during January-April 2026, with shipments valued at $1.144 billion, according to the State Statistics Committee's report on Azerbaijan's foreign trade relations.
Compared with the same period last year, the value of exports to Italy declined by $505 million, or 30.6%, while export volumes fell by 272 million cubic meters, or 8.7%.
Overall, Azerbaijan exported 8.416 billion cubic meters of natural gas worth $2.536 billion to eight countries in the first four months of 2026. Compared with the year-earlier period, export revenue decreased by $529.7 million, or 17.3%, while export volumes increased by 256.3 million cubic meters, or 3.1%.
During the same period, Azerbaijan imported 168 million cubic meters of natural gas from Iran, valued at $11.307 million. Data on natural gas exports from Iran to Azerbaijan during January-April 2025 was not published.
In an exclusive interview with Trend, Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Edmondo Cirielli said growing bilateral cooperation and productive high-level political dialogue have created favorable conditions for further expanding relations between Italy and Azerbaijan, while also broadening economic cooperation beyond the strategic oil and gas sector.
According to Cirielli, Italy welcomes the interest of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) in pursuing investment opportunities in the Italian market.
"The Southern Gas Corridor is a strategically important infrastructure project for both Italy and the European Union. Particularly following Russia's aggression against Ukraine, Azerbaijani gas supplies have become critically important for Europe's energy security. Since its commissioning in 2020, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline has already transported more than 40 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas to Italy," Cirielli said.
He noted that bilateral trade has expanded significantly since the launch of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) in 2020.
"Today, oil and gas trade accounts for the overwhelming majority of bilateral trade. To further expand our economic partnership, we are working to diversify trade ties. This is also one of the principal objectives of the intergovernmental commission, which seeks to broaden cooperation in key sectors capable of strengthening our economic relationship," Cirielli said.
