Presidential aide slams Politico's misleading reporting on Azerbaijan-Russia gas trade

Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev has once again condemned Politico for spreading misleading information about Azerbaijan's gas imports from Russia.

In a post on the social media platform X, Hajiyev harshly criticized the European publication for failing to apologize and retract its false claims. “I regret that POLITICO Europe instead of apologizing to Azerbaijan and retracting its fake news article, continues to spread disinformation to mislead the European and global public,” he wrote, Caliber.Az reports.

Politico's article referenced Azerbaijani media sources stating that Azerbaijan had imported 141.6 million cubic meters of gas from Russia in 2024. However, Hajiyev clarified that the reported figure was part of a seasonal swap operation, not an actual import. He explained, “The fact you referred to is a swap operation, not an import. Such seasonal exchanges occur between neighboring states and this is normal. I regret that the article fails to differentiate between swap and import.”

Hajiyev further emphasized that the Southern Gas Corridor, which supplies the European Union, is connected only to Azerbaijani gas fields, refuting any suggestion that the country had relied on Russian gas. He quoted Tim McPhie, the European Commission’s spokesperson on energy affairs, who confirmed, “The Southern Gas Corridor, which supplies EU markets, is only connected to Azerbaijani gas fields, not to the broader Azerbaijani natural gas system.”

Hajiyev fully agreed with McPhie’s statement, asserting, “The EU official’s statement is entirely accurate, and we are fully aligned with that. Therefore, Azerbaijan did not import any gas from Russia in 2024. Period!”

In his final remarks, Hajiyev likened Politico’s continued false reporting to an unsuccessful search for a black cat in a dark room, stating, “Politico is unsuccessfully searching for a black cat in a dark room while knowing that the cat is not there. There is a fitting Azerbaijani proverb: ‘A liar has to be chased to the end.’”