The agreement was signed under Mario Draghi and dramatically expanded under Giorgia Meloni from October 2022. By 2024 Azerbaijan supplied around 12 to 14 percent of Italian gas demand. The pivot is the foundation of the post-2022 strategic partnership and underpins Italy's resistance to EU-level sanctions or harder measures against Baku in the wake of the 2023 ethnic cleansing.

  1. Reuters / Bloomberg (compiled coverage 2022-24), Italy moves to replace Russian gas with Azerbaijani imports, 2022
  2. Politico Europe (compiled coverage), Meloni in Baku: Italy deepens energy partnership with Azerbaijan, 2024