Between January and April of this year, Georgia saw Russia emerge as the leading source of oil bitumen imports, a shift that highlighted the evolving dynamics of the country’s energy supply lines. According to statistics compiled by the Georgia Petroleum Products Importers Association and reported by TASS, Moscow supplied 48.4 percent of the total bitumen brought into Georgia in this period, underscoring Russia’s prominent role in the republic’s petroleum products market. The import landscape for bitumen in these first four months shows a total of 30.6 thousand tons, marking a substantial jump from the previous year and signaling how regional supply chains can shift rapidly in response to global energy movements and domestic demand patterns.
Overall, foreign suppliers increased Georgia’s bitumen intake by 96.1 percent in comparison with the same January–April timeframe last year, a growth metric that speaks to both heightened demand and the diversification of sourcing options available to Georgia. In the ranking of supplier origins for this fuel, Russia leads ahead of Iraq, Turkey, and Azerbaijan, illustrating how geopolitical and economic factors can influence who provides essential petroleum products to Georgia. The data, as presented by the Petroleum Products Importers Association and reported by TASS, highlights Russia as the dominant supplier in the early months of the year, with Iraq, Turkey, and Azerbaijan following in that order by shares of import volume.
During the first four months, imports of petroleum bitumen reached 30.6 thousand tons, with Russia accounting for nearly half of this volume at 48.4 percent. Iraq supplied 25.8 percent, Turkey 21.9 percent, and Azerbaijan 3.9 percent, according to the association’s analysis and TASS coverage of the period. This distribution not only reflects country-level production and export capacities but also points to the interconnected nature of regional energy markets and the ways in which Georgia manages its energy security through a mix of suppliers. The period in review also indicates how sustained demand for bitumen—used in road construction, waterproofing, and industrial applications—can influence procurement strategies and supplier relationships in the region.
Additionally, analysts from the Georgia Petroleum Products Importers Association reported on May 17 that the republic broadened its LNG imports from Russia by 52.3 percent in the same early-year window, totaling 14.48 thousand tons of liquefied natural gas. This growth mirrors the broader trend of Georgia expanding its use of energy imports from Russia in the first months of the year, a development that has implications for energy planning, pricing dynamics, and regulatory oversight. The data points to a period of intensified trade between Georgia and its northern neighbor, reflecting both strategic considerations and market realities in the LNG segment alongside the bitumen market, as observed by the association and corroborated by TASS reporting.