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German ambassador: Trade balance between Germany and Azerbaijan is balanced

15 June 2026 15:56 (UTC +04:00)

"We observe that our trade relations with Azerbaijan in the economic sphere are developing steadily, albeit gradually," German Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ralf Horlemann said at a press conference organized on the occasion of the completion of his term of office, APA reports

"Last year, bilateral trade turnover amounted to approximately 1.7 billion euros. The fact that our trade is more or less balanced is also an indicator of the maturity of these relations. In our trade relations with countries that export raw materials, the trade balance is often significantly skewed in favor of the raw material-exporting country. However, the situation between Germany and Azerbaijan is different – the trade balance is very balanced. Germany's main import from Azerbaijan has been oil. Germany's main exports to Azerbaijan are machinery and equipment, electronics and automobiles.

Again, the noteworthy point is that our trade balance is equal. This is a very good starting point for seeking new opportunities," the ambassador noted.

He added that another important factor in the development of relations between our countries is the energy sector.

"As you know, in addition to oil imports from Azerbaijan, three German companies have now signed contracts with SOCAR for the purchase of Azerbaijani gas. This has not made Germany a direct consumer of Azerbaijani gas, because there is no gas pipeline connection between Azerbaijan and Germany."

However, most of the gas imported by the European Union from Azerbaijan goes to Italy and is then traded within the integrated European energy market. There are numerous swap agreements between different European Union countries and energy companies. Thus, Germany indirectly imports or consumes Azerbaijani gas mainly through exchanges conducted with Italy and Austria," Ralf Horlemann noted.

He also touched upon cultural ties between Azerbaijan and Germany.

"When I arrived in Azerbaijan four years ago, one of the things that surprised me the most was the large number of Azerbaijanis learning and speaking German.

On average, around 50,000 Azerbaijanis learn German every year. This makes German the second most studied foreign language in Azerbaijan, which is truly an impressive figure.

We have issued a record number of visas every year. Last year, this figure was around 25,000. Among them were 1,500 student visas. In addition, visas were also issued to people going to work in Germany.

Travel by people in both directions continues. Today, the approximately 40,000 Azerbaijanis living in Germany also create a strong and broad foundation for our cultural ties," the German ambassador said.

The ambassador also noted that he assumes the volume of natural gas imported from Azerbaijan to Germany during the first 10 years will be approximately 2 billion cubic meters.

Toghrul Guluzade

Germany Azerbaijan Ralf Horlemann trade relations bilateral trade trade turnover trade balance economic cooperation Germany-Azerbaijan relations exports imports oil exports machinery electronics automobiles energy sector SOCAR natural gas Azerbaijani gas European Union Italy Austria swap agreements investment economic ties diplomacy German ambassador