New Horizons: The Key Topics Putin and Aliyev Discussed in Baku

News 21-08-2024

On August 18, Russian President Vladimir Putine mbarked on an official visit to Azerbaijan, marking a significant development in the ever-strengtheningties between the two nations.

Uponarrival, President Putin wasgreeted with a warm welcome by President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady MehribanAliyeva, whohostedhim for a dinner attheir residence. The followingday, August 19, the leaders met privately to discuss a range of important topics.

Russian political analyst Sergey Markov highlighted the symbolic nature of President Putin’s visit, noting that it underscores the close relationship between Russia and Azerbaijan—currently the strongest among the South Caucasus countries. Markov contrasted this with Georgia, which lacks diplomaticties with Russia, and Armenia, which, despitebeing a member of the CSTO and the EurasianEconomic Union, has increasin glyaligned its elf with Russia’s geopolitical rivals, such as the EU and the US.

As President Aliyevemphasizedduring the Shusha Media Forum, the bilateral relation ship between Russia and Azerbaijanis free of major conflicts, allowing the leaders to focus on advancing their shared agenda rather than resolving disputes.

Markov explained that the primary focus of the talkswas on economic collaboration, especially in by passing Western sanctions.

This includes deepening trade relations and exploring financial transactions thatavoid US and EU restrictions.

He also mentioned that the discussions likely extended beyond bilateral issues to includ emultilateral initiatives, such as Azerbaijan’s potential membership in BRICS, a proposal supported by Russia, and the North-South Transport Corridor project, which connects Russia and Iran via Azerbaijan.

This corridor plays a crucial role in facilitating the exchange of military and energyre sources between Russia and Iran without Western interference, making Azerbaijan’s strategic location central to the initiative.

In addition to economic matters, Markov suggestedthat the leaders probably touched on politicaltopics, such as the status of the Azerbaijanicommunity in Russia and the Russian-speaking and Orthodox Christian communities in Azerbaijan. Whilethese areas present few challenges, itremains essential for the leaders to reinforce the positive relations between their societies.

Regarding the ongoing Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, Markov noted thatitis a recurringtopic in suchhigh-level meetings.

He also suggested that the resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflictmight have been discussed, with Baku potentiallyplaying a constructive role as a mediator in future peacetalks. Additionally, the leaders may have addressed concernsrelated to the Israel-Iran conflict, givenboth countries’ close tieswith Iran—Azerbaijan as a neighbor and Russia through military cooperation.

Addingfurther perspective, Baku-based political analyst Sadraddin Soltan connected President Putin’s visit to the current economic situation in Russia.

He underscored that the 2022 Declaration on Allied Interaction between Azerbaijan and Russia highlights their collaboration across economic, trade, and foreign policysp heres to ensure security in the Caucasus and Caspian Searegions.

According to Soltan, this visit also under scores Russia’s need to showcaseits alliances with reliable partnerslike Azerbaijan, especially in the South Caucasus.

Soltan pointed to the North-South Transport Corridor as a critical discussion point, noting that Russia’s reliance on this route has increased due to the current geopolitical landscape.

This corridor offers a vital economiclinkbetweenAsia and Europe, connectingIndia and China withRussia and providing a shorter and safertrade route.

On energy cooperation, Soltan mentioned that the president smight have discussed naturalgas and oiltrade. Despite sanctions from the EU and the US, the United Nations has not imposed restrictions on Russia’s energy exports, allowing Azerbaijan, as a UN member, to legally engage in trade with Russia in thissector.

Finally, Soltan suggested that Russia might seek Azerbaijan’s support on matters of territorial integrity. Given Azerbaijan’s strong relations with both Russia and Ukraine, itis likely that the conflict between these two nations was a keytopic of discussion.

Additionally, Soltan noted that Russia mightalsoplay a role in the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, referencing the tripartite declaration of November 2020, where Russiais the guarantor of its implementation.

PresidentPutinmay have discussed the regulation of relations between the parties, as well as his intentions to consult with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the issue.

In conclusion, Soltane mphasized that President Putin’s visit to Azerbaijan reflects the deep and strategic partnership between thes eneighboring countries.