Russian President's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov announced that Vladimir Putin and President Ilham Aliyev will meet in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.
He noted that the meeting between Putin and Aliyev will take place today. The main topic on the agenda will be bilateral relations.
It should be recalled that the downing of an Azerbaijani passenger plane in Russian airspace in December 2024, followed by illegal attacks on Azerbaijanis in Yekaterinburg, led to a deterioration of relations between the two countries.
In a statement to Modern.az, political analyst Elkhan Shahinoglu stated that although there are questions in Russia-Azerbaijan relations and tensions have not been fully resolved, contacts continue at various levels:
“The anticipated meeting of the Russian and Azerbaijani leaders also indicates this. There is still an opportunity for relations to normalize. Azerbaijan does not want tense relations with neighboring states, including Russia. In fact, strained relations should not serve Russia's interests either. Therefore, I believe that during the meeting, the Russian leader may express his views on future steps. Putin will also convey his thoughts to the Azerbaijani leader regarding the investigation of the plane incident. However, yes, the results of the investigation into the plane crash conducted in December must be announced. Therefore, an apology should be made, compensation paid, and as a result of the investigation, the punishment of the perpetrators should be announced. In such a case, it can be said that relations will move from a phase of tension to a phase of normalization. If Russia does not apologize at an official level, the normalization of relations will be difficult.”
The political analyst believes that the Russian side may apologize either during the meeting in Dushanbe or in December, after the results of the investigation are announced:
“If they are logical, they will apologize. The Russian authorities have also understood that they will not be able to normalize relations with Azerbaijan without an apology. From this perspective, if they are logical, they will apologize. Because their own situation is also difficult. Russia's war with Ukraine has worsened and strained its relations with many states. Before the plane crash, relations with Azerbaijan were normal. If they want to restore normal relations, then logically, yes, they must apologize.”
