Russian President, Putin, expresses optimism that disputes between Russia and Azerbaijan can be mitigated

Russia and Azerbaijan have been grappling with strained relations since the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane in Kazakhstan in December 2024. The latest developments in this complex relationship were discussed in various meetings and forums.

During a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his wife, Mehriban Aliyeva, in China, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the release of Russian citizens detained in Azerbaijan is one of the conditions for easing tensions between Moscow and Baku. This statement, reported by Interfax, was made during their discussions.

The topic of the detained Russians was also raised in the Russian-Azerbaijani intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation held in Astrakhan on 22 August. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksei Overchuk, speaking at the 10th Eastern Economic Forum, emphasised that the first step for solving these issues is the release of the 13 Russian citizens who are detained in Azerbaijan.

However, Baku has demanded that the perpetrators of the killing of the Safarov brothers be held accountable. The death of the Safarov brothers is being investigated by Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General's Office under charges of torture and murder at the hands of Russian law enforcement in Yekaterinburg.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry expressed a 'strong protest' to the Russian ambassador over the incident. The position of Russia was communicated in detail to the Azerbaijani delegation.

Despite the tensions, Overchuk stated that economic relations between Russia and Azerbaijan are developing well and that they maintain constant contacts. He also mentioned that the tense relations have not impacted economic ties between the two countries.

Russia's Foreign Ministry has made three visits to the Russian citizens in the Baku pre-trial detention center in July. However, Zakharova stressed that they appealed for a fourth meeting with the detainees, but have not received a response from Baku.

Zakharova also mentioned that the release of these 13 Russian citizens could be an important step towards normalising relations between Moscow and Baku. Putin, in his statement, expressed that there are still problems between the two countries, but believes that the fundamental relations will eventually resolve these issues.

It is worth noting that there are no search results available that identify these 13 Russian citizens detained in Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani government has called on Moscow to take responsibility for a plane that was accidentally struck by a Russian air defence missile.

As the situation continues to unfold, both countries are seeking a resolution to the issues at hand, with the release of the detained Russians being a significant point of contention. The future of Russia-Azerbaijan relations remains uncertain, but both nations are hopeful for a peaceful and diplomatic resolution.