After decades of isolation, first signs of renewed trade emerge between Azerbaijan and Armenia

Exports of crude oil and petroleum products from Azerbaijan declined sharply in both volume and value in the first quarter of 2026, while gas exports increased but generated lower revenues, according to data published by the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan.

President Ilham Aliyev has signed a new law “On Children’s Rights,” adopted by parliament on March 3, along with a series of decrees aimed at its implementation, official sources said.

Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR and France’s TotalEnergies have reviewed progress on the next phase of the Absheron gas-condensate field, a project seen as key to stabilising the country’s gas output but unlikely to significantly boost exports on its own.

Azerbaijan is expected to remain a reliable but relatively small-scale energy supplier to Europe through the end of the decade, as structural constraints limit its ability to significantly expand exports despite growing geopolitical demand for alternative sources.