Armenian firms behind Azerbaijani gasoline imports revealed

Azerbaijani gasoline imports to Armenia are being carried out by two companies, Mega Trade LLC and Shisha World LLC, according to Armenia’s State Revenue Committee, as cited by Caliber.Az with reference to Armenian media.

Mega Trade LLC operates the Ran Oil network of fuel stations and is owned by the family of Khachatur Sukiasyan, a member of parliament from Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract faction.

The second importer is Shisha World LLC. According to the state registry, the company is wholly owned by Samvel Vaganovich Mkrtchyan and was registered in December 2022. Mkrtchyan also holds a 50 per cent stake in S-Trade Group LLC.

The involvement of these companies follows the first reported shipment of Azerbaijani petroleum products to Armenia, which took place on December 18. The consignment was dispatched from Baku’s Bilajari railway station and consisted of 1,220 tonnes of AI-95 motor gasoline loaded into 22 railcars. The cargo was transported by a freight train operated by Azerbaijan Railways and travelled in transit through Georgia. For this initial shipment, Tbilisi waived transit fees as a goodwill gesture.

The gasoline export stems from an agreement reached on November 28, 2025, in Gabala between Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev and Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan. It also builds on earlier practical steps toward economic cooperation, including Armenia’s first imports of grain transiting Azerbaijani territory in November 2025.

The shipment takes place against the backdrop of broader political developments between the two countries. In March 2025, Azerbaijan and Armenia finalised the text of a draft peace treaty. On August 8, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan initialled the agreement during talks in Washington mediated by US President Donald Trump. The two leaders also signed a joint declaration committing to end hostilities, establish diplomatic relations, and promote regional cooperation.

By Tamilla Hasanova