The Clash Between Baku and Moscow Enters a Soft Phase, Says Duma Deputy

The clash between Baku and Moscow is entering a soft phase. This was stated by former State Duma deputy Oleg Shein, emphasizing that military intervention is excluded, not merely as a result of 'pacifism,' but because of objective considerations.

According to Shein, the levers of economic pressure in Russia are also extremely limited. Only 6.5% of foreign direct investment in Azerbaijan comes from Russia, while this figure reaches 70% in Armenia. Exports to Russia account for merely 3.5% of Azerbaijan's external turnover. For comparison, in Georgia, this figure is 48%.

Azerbaijan sells goods worth $1.2 billion to Russia and buys $3.6 billion in return, making the commercial war three times stronger for Russian enterprises. The share of transfers from Russia in Azerbaijan constitutes only 11% of all private remittances, and over the past five years, the number of the diaspora has decreased from 470,000 to 330,000.

“Overall, Azerbaijan is economically independent and today demonstrates what a multipolar world looks like, as they say, in reality. Yes, in such a world, one can live and thrive, especially if treating other countries as equal partners,” wrote Shein.