Aliyev visits Berlin to deepen energy and trade ties with Germany
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Berlin for his first state visit to Germany, signing a strategic partnership declaration and several agreements covering energy, transport, and trade.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Berlin on Tuesday for his first state visit to Germany, aiming to strengthen cooperation in energy and trade. During talks with Chancellor Friedrich Merz and cabinet ministers, the two sides signed a joint declaration on a strategic partnership and multiple agreements covering energy, transport, infrastructure, trade, investment, science and technology. Germany is the second European country after Italy to sign such an agreement with Azerbaijan. A business forum was also held alongside the talks.
Merz expressed gratitude to Aliyev for the opportunity to receive larger volumes of gas from Azerbaijan, noting that this was reflected in the joint declaration. Azerbaijan began supplying gas to Germany in 2024 via the Southern Gas Corridor, and Aliyev expects annual deliveries to reach 2 billion cubic metres by next year. Currently, Azerbaijan supplies about 12 billion cubic metres of gas per year to Europe, with Italy, Greece, Bulgaria and Hungary being the largest recipients.
The discussions also focused on the Middle Corridor, a trade route linking China to Europe through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. Aliyev said Azerbaijan has invested heavily in expanding port capacity at Alat on the Caspian Sea and that freight volumes through the corridor have grown significantly. Germany, as a major industrial economy and importer of Asian goods, has a direct interest in reducing dependence on Russian transit routes.
Separately, Aliyev addressed the ongoing Iran-US war, which has disrupted regional energy and trade flows. He said Azerbaijan has maintained a balanced position and is ready to support diplomatic efforts to restore stability. Merz praised the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process and called for the finalisation of a peace agreement.
According to Orkhan Yolchuyev, director of the CASPIA analytical think tank in Baku, the significance of the visit lies in the broader range of sectors included, such as green energy, low-carbon hydrogen, digital transformation, and industrial modernisation. He said Germany increasingly sees Azerbaijan as a partner for new industrial and logistics projects linking Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia. Shahin Ismayilov, a member of Azerbaijan's parliament, added that the agreements will strengthen cooperation in energy, trade, transport and investment.
Later on Tuesday, Aliyev held a one-on-one meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who described Azerbaijan and Germany as "islands of stability" amid global conflicts.
