The official visit of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov to Russia coincides with a sensitive period in Baku-Moscow relations. During the visit, he is expected to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to discuss the bilateral agenda, as well as regional processes.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "regional topics of mutual interest" will also be discussed at the meeting. This phrase is particularly noteworthy, as the peace agenda in the South Caucasus, the future of Azerbaijan-Armenia relations, the opening of communications in the region, and the processes around the Zangazur corridor remain the main regional discussion topics.
Although it has not been disclosed which regional issues will be discussed during Jeyhun Bayramov's visit, the meeting appears to be important for forming a new agenda in Baku-Moscow relations.
Speaking to Modern.az on the matter, former Foreign Minister Tofig Zulfugarov stated that a crisis has emerged in relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, and the main goal is to restore bilateral ties to their previous level:
"A crisis has emerged in relations between Azerbaijan and Russia. Mr. President Ilham Aliyev expressed his views on overcoming this crisis at the IV Shusha Global Media Forum. Traditionally, Russia and Azerbaijan conduct official visits once a year. During the official visits of foreign ministers, many issues are on the agenda. Political, economic, forms of cooperation between the two ministries, and other issues are discussed. The main goal is to restore the level of relations that existed before the crisis in bilateral relations. Communication, transit, economic cooperation, trade, exchange of goods, and other issues will be discussed. I am sure that, as always, views will also be expressed on the situation of Azerbaijanis in Russia. There are many issues."
According to the former minister, the main issue is that Russia now understands that its previous mediation role in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process has practically ceased to exist:
"In this regard, Moscow, using existing opportunities, may try to contribute to the development of the peace agenda, if accepted by the Azerbaijani side. An example of this is the issue of communication. The main point here is that it concerns railway infrastructure that is not owned by Armenia. This railway, passing through the Zangazur corridor, was once owned by Azerbaijan. However, Armenia later illegally transferred this infrastructure to the use of Russian Railways. As a result, Azerbaijan, the true owner, was excluded from this process, and a relevant agreement was signed between Armenia and Russian Railways. This railway can be used as an element of the TRIPP project. The issue of ownership is also relevant. Because Russia, to ensure its participation in the TRIPP project, envisages both the presence of border guards there and the use of property rights. The position of Azerbaijan, as the true owner, should also be brought to the agenda in this matter."
