The state visit of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, to Azerbaijan took place in a “family atmosphere”. The two leaders signed six cooperation documents and discussed regional security issues. According to Putin, Moscow is currently facing a crisis over Ukraine but remains involved in the affairs of the South Caucasus.

President Putin landed at Baku airport on the evening of August 18. There he was greeted by a guard of honor, First Deputy Prime Minister Yakub Eiubov, Deputy Foreign Minister Samir Sharifov, Azerbaijani Ambassadors to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu and Mikhail Evdokimov, Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan. From there, the Russian leader went to an informal dinner with the head of state Ilham Aliyev, at his residence in Zagulba, located 40 km from Baku, on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

Putin offered a bouquet of flowers to Aliyev’s wife, who is also the country’s first vice president, Mehriban Aliieva.

The next day, Putin laid red roses at the grave of Azerbaijan’s national leader Heidar Aliyev, his wife Zarifa Alieva, her father Aziz Aliyev and her brother Tamerlan Aliyev. He later laid a wreath at the Eternal Flame on Martyrs’ Alley, a memorial cemetery where the victims of the events in Baku in January 1990 and the Azerbaijanis who died in the first Karabakh war are buried.

After all this, the official ceremony of the meeting of the two presidents took place. Putin was accompanied by Deputy Prime Ministers Alexander Novak and Alexei Overchuk, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Transport Roman Starovoit, Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko, heads of VTB, VEB, Gazprom, Rosneft and others. Aliyev was accompanied by two deputy prime ministers, Health Minister Teimur Musayev, Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov, Labor and Social Protection Minister Sahil Babayev, Economy Minister Mikhail Zabarov, Energy Minister Parviz Shakhbazov, Digital Development and Transport Minister Rashad Nabiev, the heads of the Central Bank, the Food Security Agency and the state oil company SOCAR.

Putin called Baku an “oasis in the region” and thanked Aliyev for his attention to the Russian language. “In Azerbaijan there are 300 Russian-language schools, branches of our higher education institutions,” he stressed. For his part, Aliyev said that Baku is very satisfied with the level of cooperation with Moscow. “The declaration on allied cooperation signed by us in February 2022 is successfully implemented,” Aliyev said.

Today we exchanged views and expressed our satisfaction with the development of relations between our countries – relations between friends, neighbors and allies. We see a positive dynamic in all areas. The composition of our delegations is also illustrative and speaks for itself. In other words, there are indeed many topics to debate and room for cooperation. We are committed to strengthening our cooperation in all areas, and I am confident that your visit will be another important step closer to our countries and peoples.

Ilham Aliyev

The two parties concluded three agreements related to the health system, quarantine and protection of flora and food safety. Three memoranda of understanding were signed on climate change and low-carbon development, labour inspection and investment promotion.

Putin noted that the Russian Shipbuilding Company together with the Baku Shipyard will start producing modern river-class tankers for transporting petroleum products. They will be used on the Caspian and Azov-Black Sea routes, which will significantly increase the supply of energy resources to world markets.

Regarding the regional situation, specifically the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Putin said that Russia is still ready to help resolve the conflict.

We would be very happy if we could do something to contribute to the signing of a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, to complete the demarcation of the border, as I have talked to you many times, in order to unlock the opportunities in the field of logistics and economy.

Vladimir Putin

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said Baku aims to normalize relations with Armenia, but Yerevan’s “unreasonable demands” must be removed. He noted that Russia has always been an acceptable platform for such negotiations.

Elhan Shahinoglu, head of the Atlas Center for Political Studies, told the Russian publication “Nezavisimaya Gazeta” that “Baku and Yerevan do not need an intermediary at this stage. Negotiations continue without any intermediary. Meetings of the Intergovernmental Commission are held at the border and the foreign ministers debate the text of the peace treaty by e-mail.” He went on to say that the Armenian side opposes Russian mediation.