AZE.US
Trade between Azerbaijan and Russia fell sharply in the first seven months of 2026, driven by a 42% decline in Russian exports to the Azerbaijani market.
Bilateral trade totaled $2.11 billion in January through July, down $959.97 million, or 31.2%, from the same period last year, AZE.US reports, citing State Customs Committee data published by Report.
Azerbaijan imported $1.36 billion worth of Russian goods during the reporting period, a 42% year-on-year decline.
Azerbaijani exports to Russia moved in the opposite direction, rising 3.9% to $749.55 million.
The figures show that the contraction was caused almost entirely by a decline in imports from Russia rather than falling Azerbaijani sales to the Russian market.
Russia accounted for 7.2% of Azerbaijan’s total foreign trade during the seven-month period. Russian products still represented 13.7% of all Azerbaijani imports, while Russia received 3.8% of Azerbaijan’s exports.
Azerbaijan’s overall foreign trade turnover reached $29.22 billion, up 1.3% from a year earlier.
Total exports increased 27% to $19.34 billion, while imports fell 27.4% to $9.88 billion.
The broader decline in Azerbaijan’s imports means the drop in trade with Russia cannot automatically be attributed entirely to political tensions. Customs data alone do not establish the reasons behind the change.
Still, a decline of more than 31% points to a significant shift in economic activity between Baku and Moscow at a time when the two countries are also experiencing a more strained political relationship.
AZE.US