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.