This article covers the diplomatic and economic relationship between India and Azerbaijan: recognition and the establishment of relations, visits and meetings, dialogue mechanisms, and then trade and investment, including the oil and gas investments of ONGC Videsh. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of April 2026 and reflects the position at that date.

Recognition and establishment of relations

According to the MEA brief of April 2026, India recognised Azerbaijan as an independent country in December 1991, soon after it proclaimed its independence from the USSR. Diplomatic relations were established on 28 February 1992.

Visits and meetings from India

The brief records the following visits and meetings on the Indian side:

  • 4-6 April 2018: the then External Affairs Minister, Smt. Sushma Swaraj, visited Azerbaijan to attend the NAM Ministerial Conference and for a bilateral visit.
  • 24-26 October 2019: the then Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, visited Baku for the NAM Summit, accompanied by EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar.
  • 04 May 2020: the Prime Minister participated in the online NAM Summit on the theme "United against COVID-19", held at the initiative of the Azerbaijani President.
  • 19 January 2024: EAM met Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov on the sidelines of the 19th NAM Summit in Kampala.
  • 11-24 November 2024: Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh, Minister of State for Environment, Forests and Climate Change and External Affairs, led the Indian delegation to COP29 in Baku.
  • 16-19 November 2025: Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, visited Azerbaijan to take part in the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-25), held in Baku from 17-28 November 2025.

Visits from Azerbaijan

The brief states that there have been several Ministerial level visits from Azerbaijan to India since 1991. Recent visits include:

  • Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Elnur Mammadov visited India on 28-29 November 2022 for the Foreign Office Consultations, and again on 03-05 March 2023 for the Raisina Dialogue.
  • A delegation led by Mr. Yalchin Rafiyev, Deputy Foreign Minister and Lead Negotiator for COP29, visited New Delhi on 2-4 April 2024. On 03 April 2024 it held discussions with the Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Climate Change, on a range of issues and topics under the UNFCCC.
  • The Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport, Shahin Babayev, visited India for the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-24) and the Global Standards Symposium (GSS-24), held in New Delhi from 13-19 October 2024.

Azerbaijan has participated in all three editions of the Voice of Global South Summit (VoGSS). At VoGSS-1.0 and VoGSS-2.0 its participation was in the Energy Ministers' Sessions, and at VoGSS-3.0 in the Environment Ministers' Session.

Dialogue mechanisms

The 6th session of the India-Azerbaijan Foreign Office Consultations was held in Baku on 3 April 2026. It was co-chaired by Ambassador Sibi George, Secretary (West), on the Indian side and by Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Elnur Mammadov on the Azerbaijani side. During the visit, Secretary (West) also met Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister, Mr. Jeyhun Bayramov, and the Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of Azerbaijan, Mr. Hikmet Hajiyev.

The two countries also have an Inter-Governmental Commission. Its 6th meeting was held in Baku on 25 October 2023, when Smt. Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, visited for the meeting.

Trade

The brief states that India's bilateral trade with Azerbaijan has increased substantially over the years, from a low of around US$ 50 million in 2005. In 2025 bilateral trade was US$ 401 million, with India's exports to Azerbaijan at US$ 226 million and India's imports from Azerbaijan at US$ 175 million, comprising mostly crude oil.

Investment in oil and gas

ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) has invested more than US$ 1.2 billion in acquiring stakes in the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) oil and gas fields and the associated Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipe line.

On 29 November 2024, OVL completed the acquisition of an additional 0.615 percent participating interest (PI) in the ACG oil and gas field from Equinor, at an investment of USD 60 million. The deal also included the acquisition of Equinor's 0.737 percent shares in the BTC pipeline. According to the brief, the buyout raised OVL's stake in the ACG oil and gas field to 2.925 percent and in the BTC pipeline to 3.097 percent.