Armenia exports aluminium foil to Azerbaijan. The country’s total foil export value is rising with global prices
Armenia has exported aluminium foil to Azerbaijan. Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan told journalists about it on September 24, after a government session. The minister did not specify how much was exported. Asked whether there are plans to export other goods to Azerbaijan, he replied: “We’ll see.”
Earlier, Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Ararat Mirzoyan said in an interview with Public Television that purchases of goods from Armenian producers by Azerbaijani companies would become known in the coming days. The minister did not provide details at the time. Since the end of 2025, Azerbaijan has been supplying petroleum products to Armenia. In addition, Russian grain and other goods have started arriving in Armenia in transit through Azerbaijan.
Aluminium foil is one of Armenia’s main industrial export goods. According to the foreign trade database of the Statistical Committee of Armenia (HS code 7607), Armenia exported 19.2 thousand tonnes of aluminium foil in 2025. That is 5.2% less than in 2024, when 20.3 thousand tonnes were exported. The customs value of exports, however, rose by 20.8%, from $68.6 million to $82.8 million. The average export value per tonne increased from about $3,380 to $4,310, or by roughly 27%.
Foil imports also grew. In 2025, Armenia imported 2.7 thousand tonnes of aluminium foil, up 37.8%. The value of imports rose by 60.3% to $14.3 million. Nevertheless, the trade balance for this product group remains strongly positive at about $68.5 million.
The structure of exports has changed significantly in recent years. According to the Statistical Committee, in 2020 Armenia exported 35.2 thousand tonnes of foil worth $94.7 million. In other words, almost half as much foil is exported today, but its value is close to the level of that time. In 2020, a tonne was exported at an average of about $2,690; in 2025, at $4,310.
The rise in export value coincided with higher aluminium prices on the global market. According to the World Bank, the average aluminium price in January–August 2026 was $3,337 per tonne. That is 30.6% higher than in the same period last year. The price peaked in May at $3,666. According to MetalCharts, this is the highest level since 2022. The price then eased somewhat. According to Trading Economics, on September 23 aluminium was trading at about $3,250, up 22% year on year.
According to Trading Economics, the price increase is mainly driven by production cuts caused by the conflict in the Middle East. In July this year, aluminium output in the Persian Gulf countries fell by 44% year on year, while before the war the region accounted for about 10% of global supply. Prices are being held back by the restart of some smelters and rising exports from China.
In Armenia, aluminium foil is produced by the Armenal plant. It was established by RUSAL in May 2000 on the basis of the Kanaker Aluminium Plant. According to the company, Armenal is the only foil producer in the Caucasus and Central Asia.
