India's External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar is paying an official visit to Azerbaijan on 23 October 2026. This is the first stand alone visit by an Indian foreign minister since 2018. He will hold talks to review bilateral ties. Energy remains the main focus of their growing economic relationship.
India's External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar is paying an official visit to Azerbaijan on 23 October 2026, the first stand alone visit by an Indian foreign minister since Sushma Swaraj's trip in 2018. The Ministry of External Affairs said he would hold talks with his counterpart to "review bilateral ties".
The visit follows informal talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek in September. Earlier this month, India's new ambassador to Azerbaijan, Abhay Kumar, presented his credentials to President Aliyev.
Energy remains the mainstay of economic ties. ONGC Videsh Ltd has invested more than $1.2 billion in stakes in the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli oil and gas fields and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. India has long been a significant buyer of Azerbaijani crude, and the two sides have explored further cooperation in hydrocarbons and related sectors. India exports rice, pharmaceuticals, machinery, electronics and processed tobacco to Azerbaijan. Direct flights operate between Delhi and Baku (14 a week) and Mumbai and Baku (7 a week).
People-to-people links have expanded. In 2025 Azerbaijan received nearly 167,000 Indian tourists, making India one of its top source markets. An Indian community of professionals, students and workers lives in Baku.
India recognised Azerbaijan's independence in December 1991, with formal diplomatic relations established in February 1992. The Indian embassy in Baku opened in 1999.
Relations rest on historical civilisational links, energy cooperation and growing people-to-people contacts, though they have at times been affected by differing geopolitical alignments, including India's defence ties with Armenia and Azerbaijan's close relationship with Pakistan.