Zakharova on Putin and Aliyev's Negotiations

Moscow aims to continue discussions with Baku regarding the situation of Russian citizens detained in Azerbaijan, with the goal of their prompt release and return home. This was stated by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, during a press briefing in comments on the topics of negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Dushanbe.

“Of course, there was a step forward in this regard when the preventive measure of Igor Kartavikh, the head of Sputnik Azerbaijan (a branch of Rossiya Segodnya), was changed,” she noted.

Commenting on the negotiations between Putin and Aliyev, Zakharova emphasized that Russia confirms its readiness to fully reveal the potential of the treaty on allied cooperation signed between Russia and Azerbaijan on February 22, 2022.

The diplomat recalled that on October 13, a trilateral meeting between Russia, Azerbaijan, and Iran took place in Baku, dedicated to cooperation in the areas of energy, transport, and customs. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk participated in this meeting.

“There have been efficient bilateral contacts with the Azerbaijani side,” said Zakharova.

The diplomat indicated that Moscow is interested in close cooperation with Baku in various regional formats such as the CIS, SCO, the Caspian Five, the “3+3” format, and in constructing a modern architecture of Eurasian security.

“We see a strengthening of dialogue with Baku within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union, as evidenced by the participation of the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan as an honorary guest in the meetings of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council. The latest such event took place in Minsk on September 30 of this year. We positively assess cooperation with Baku also in the CIS format,” Zakharova noted.

According to her, Moscow welcomes Baku’s joining the several documents finalized at the CIS summit held in Dushanbe on October 10.