(Bloomberg) --

Azerbaijan exported 9.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the first half of the year, up 36% from a year earlier, the Energy Ministry in Baku said Saturday in an emailed statement.

Neighboring Turkey imported nearly 4.7 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Azerbaijan in the period, the ministry said, without giving year-on-year comparison. Georgia bought 1.2 billion cubic meters of gas.

Azerbaijan also exported almost 3.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas to the European Union in the first six months of the year. Shipments to Europe started on Dec. 31.

The Caspian Sea nation’s natural gas production in the January-June period increased by 5.1% year-on-year to 20.3 billion cubic meters. The total comprised 10 billion cubic meters produced from the Shah Deniz and 6.4 billion cubic meters pumped from the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) deposits. BP Plc leads both projects.

Azerbaijan’s state energy company Socar produced 3.9 billion cubic meters of gas in the period, the ministry said without giving year-earlier comparison.

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