Baku:The countries leading in the import of Azerbaijan's crude oil and petroleum products from bituminous minerals during January to September this year include Italy, the Czech Republic, and Romania.

According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, Italy imported 8.88 million tons of crude oil from Azerbaijan, valued at $5.51 billion. This represents a 7.4% decrease in volume but a 10.4% increase in value compared to the same period last year.

Exports to the Czech Republic amounted to 1.33 million tons, worth $908.48 million, marking an increase of 1.4% in volume and 29.5% in value over the previous year.

Romania saw a 30.2% increase in crude oil imports from Azerbaijan, totaling 1.014 million tons, with the value rising by 50.1% to $644.32 million.