Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

Azerbaijan kept its leading position at Georgia's export market in January-September 2014.

Georgian National Statistics Service said at its foreign trade report that in the first nine months of 2014 around 19.8 percent of the country's export went to Azerbaijan.

In the reported period, Azerbaijan imported goods worth $425.79 million from Georgia.

The goods exported to Azerbaijan decreased by 19.4 percent compared to the same period of 2013.

Georgia mainly exports cars, cattle, medicines, cement, steel bars and other goods to Azerbaijan.

Armenia ranked second on this index. Georgian products in the amount of $224.59 million (10.4 percent of a total export volume) have been exported to this country since early 2013.

Russia ranked third in terms of importing Georgian goods. The goods were exported in the amount of $212.14 million or 9.9 percent of Georgia's total export volume in January-September 2014.

The trade turnover between Georgia and Azerbaijan amounted to $879.2 million in January-September 2014, which is 8.97 percent less than in the same period of 2013. For comparison, the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $965.89 million in January-September 2013.

The report also said Georgia imported 958,320 metric tons of natural gas in oil equivalent worth $198.99 million from Azerbaijan in January-September 2014.

Azerbaijan is the main natural gas supplier to Georgia with a specific weight of 83.5 percent of the country's total import volume in this category. According to the report, Georgia has imported natural gas worth $238.28 million since early 2014.

The rest gas supplies accounted for Russia and other sources.

In annual terms, the Georgian natural gas import from Azerbaijan increased in value by 18.81 percent (in quantitative terms the supplies increased by 130,850 metric tons of oil equivalent, or 15.8 percent).

For comparison, Georgia imported 827,480 metric tons of gas in oil equivalent worth $167.49 million from Azerbaijan in January-September 2013.

The specific weight of gas in Georgia's total import volume from Azerbaijan amounted to 43.9 percent in the reported period.

Azerbaijan exports its own gas to Georgia via a pipeline connecting two countries in the Gazakh region of Azerbaijan. The capacity of gas pumping through this pipeline exceeds 2.5 billion cubic meters per year.

Also, Georgia increased the import volume of Azerbaijan's construction materials by 25.45 percent during a year.

Around 107,630 metric tons of construction gypsum and other anhydrite totaling $18.45 million were imported from Azerbaijan to Georgia during this period. For comparison, around 85,792 metric tons of building materials in the amount of $15.57 million were imported to Georgia in January-September 2013.

Around 188,787 metric tons of cement in the amount of $13.849 million was exported to Azerbaijan in January-September 2014. Around 356,907 metric tons of cement products in the amount of $26.334 million were exported from Georgia to Azerbaijan in the same period of last year.

Around 73,090 metric tons of iron rods in the amount of $45.194 million were exported from Georgia to Azerbaijan during this period. Around 49,237 metric tons of iron rods in the amount of $30.789 million were exported to Azerbaijan in the same period of last year.

The share of construction materials in Azerbaijan's total export volume to Georgia for the period amounted to 4 percent.