Baku: Azerbaijan reported a $2 billion deficit in its primary income balance last year. According to Azeri-Press News Agency, this marks a 27.4% reduction from the previous year's figures, attributed to a $2.6 billion deficit in the oil and gas sector and a $0.6 billion surplus in the non-oil and gas sector.

The overall turnover of receipts and payments under primary income reached $7.8 billion. Payments from Azerbaijan to non-residents accounted for 62.8% of this turnover, totaling $4.9 billion. A significant portion of these payments was the repatriation of income to foreign investors, amounting to $3.4 billion. This included $3 billion repatriated mainly in the form of crude oil and natural gas by international oil and gas consortiums. Additionally, interest payments to non-residents on securities portfolios amounted to $249.6 million, while interest payments on foreign loans reached $478.9 million, alongside other payments totaling $736.8 million.