Georgia pays more for Russian gas than Azerbaijani for first time in over two decades

Georgia's National Statistics Office (GeoStat) released a data, according to which, in the first quarter of 2025, the country paid more for natural gas imported from Russia than from Azerbaijan for the first time in over 20 years.

From January to March, Georgia paid $100.6 million for Russian gas, surpassing the $82.4 million spent on Azerbaijani gas. While import volume figures were not disclosed, it is assumed that Azerbaijani gas imports remained higher in quantity, given its discounted price and its role in transit routes to Turkey and the EU.

Until 2007, Russia was Georgia’s sole supplier of natural gas. However, after the launch of the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline and the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia, the country pivoted toward Azerbaijani supplies. GeoStat records dating back to 2009 show that Russia had never outpaced Azerbaijan in gas import value — for instance, in Q1 of 2018 and 2019, Russian gas accounted for just 4.4% and 4.3% of Georgia’s total gas import costs.

By comparison, in Q1 of 2024, Georgia paid $93.3 million for Azerbaijani gas and $84.5 million for Russian gas. The share of Russian gas has increased in recent years, though Georgia’s Ministry of Economy emphasized that gas purchased from Russia’s Gazprom is used solely in the commercial sector and not for household supply.