How Much of Armenia’s Fuel Imports Come from Azerbaijan? Examining Aliyev’s Claim

During a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on July 21, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated:

“Today, Armenia receives both diesel fuel and gasoline from Azerbaijan. This is a significant contribution to ensuring Armenia’s energy security.”

He also noted that these supplies constitute an important contribution, particularly “amid the current challenges in the export and import of petroleum products.”

Expressing gratitude to Germany for supporting the peace process, Aliyev further stated that Azerbaijani-Armenian relations are being normalized and that the initialing of the peace agreement, together with the signing of the joint declaration in Washington, has brought an end to more than three decades of conflict.

Following Aliyev’s remarks, the Fact Investigation Platform examined the volume of gasoline and diesel fuel imported into Armenia from Azerbaijan.

According to the available official data, Azerbaijan accounted for approximately 5% of Armenia’s total gasoline imports and around 16% of its diesel fuel imports during the first quarter of 2026.

Imports of gasoline and diesel fuel from Azerbaijan to Armenia began only toward the end of 2025. Accordingly, this analysis is based on the official annual statistics for 2025 and the most recent available official data for the first quarter of 2026.

What Share Did Azerbaijani Gasoline Account for in 2025?

According to the official statistics of Armenia’s State Revenue Committee, Armenia imported approximately 220,000 tonnes of motor gasoline in 2025, with a customs value of USD 207.838 million.

The volume imported from Azerbaijan amounted to 1,215 tonnes, valued at USD 873,400.

Last year, Armenia’s principal gasoline suppliers were Romania, Egypt, and the Russian Federation, which together accounted for approximately 82% of total gasoline imports.

Breakdown of supplies by country:

• Romania – 62.8 thousand tonnes (28.5%)
• Egypt – 60.4 thousand tonnes (27.4%)
• Russian Federation – 56.7 thousand tonnes (25.8%)

Smaller shares were supplied by Bulgaria (7.7%), Cyprus (5.4%), Greece (4.3%), and Iran (0.4%).

Among the eight countries supplying gasoline to Armenia, Azerbaijan ranked seventh, accounting for only about 0.6% of total gasoline imports.

The Picture Changes: First Quarter of 2026

According to the preliminary data for the first quarter of 2026, Armenia imported a total of 69.2 million liters of motor gasoline, with a customs value of USD 45.266 million.

During this period, the geography of imports changed significantly. The three leading suppliers of gasoline were Bulgaria, Romania, and Belgium, which together accounted for approximately 73.5% of the total import volume.

Breakdown of supplies by country:

• Bulgaria – 23.5 million liters (34%)
• Romania – 19.9 million liters (28.8%)
• Belgium – 7.4 million liters (10.7%)

Smaller shares were supplied by Cyprus (9.1%), the Russian Federation (7.4%), Türkiye (2.7%), Greece (1.9%), and Egypt (0.3%).

As for Azerbaijan, Armenia imported 3.6 million liters of gasoline during the first quarter of 2026, with a customs value of approximately USD 2.045 million. This accounted for 5.2% of Armenia’s total gasoline imports.

As a result, Azerbaijan ranked sixth among the nine countries supplying gasoline to Armenia.

Diesel Fuel Imports in 2025: Russia’s Overwhelming Dominance

In 2025, Armenia imported a total of 179,000 tonnes of diesel fuel, with a customs value of approximately USD 155 million.

The Russian Federation was by far the dominant supplier. Armenia imported 150.3 thousand tonnes of diesel fuel from Russia, accounting for approximately 84% of the total volume.

The remaining suppliers were:

• Iran – 13 thousand tonnes (7.3%)
• Georgia – 5.7 thousand tonnes (3.2%)
• Israel – 5.2 thousand tonnes (2.9%)
• Romania – 4.2 thousand tonnes (2.4%)
• Turkmenistan – 506.7 tonnes (0.3%)
• Bulgaria – 24.9 tonnes (0.01%)

Notably, unlike gasoline, the official statistics for 2025 record no imports of diesel fuel from Azerbaijan.

First Quarter of 2026: Azerbaijan’s Share Reaches 15.6%

According to the preliminary data for the first quarter of 2026, Armenia imported a total of 34.7 thousand tonnes of diesel fuel, with a customs value of approximately USD 29.6 million.

Of this amount, 5.4 thousand tonnes were imported from Azerbaijan, with a customs value of approximately USD 4.3 million. This represented 15.6% of Armenia’s total diesel fuel imports.

By this measure, Azerbaijan ranked third among the six countries supplying diesel fuel to Armenia, behind only the Russian Federation and Israel.

Thus, in 2025, Azerbaijani gasoline accounted for only 0.6% of Armenia’s total gasoline imports, while no diesel fuel imports from Azerbaijan were recorded. During the first quarter of 2026, however, Azerbaijan’s share increased to 5.2% of gasoline imports and 15.6% of diesel fuel imports.

These figures show that Azerbaijan has become one of Armenia’s fuel suppliers, with its share of diesel fuel imports already representing a noticeable portion of the market.

However, these import figures alone are not sufficient to determine whether this constitutes the “significant” contribution to Armenia’s energy security claimed by Aliyev.

Gayane Markosyan