On December 8-10, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin held consultations in Baku with Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Samir Sharifov and was also received by Presidential Aide of the Republic of Azerbaijan for Foreign Policy Hikmet Hajiyev.
Following the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the CIS Heads of State Council meeting in Dushanbe on October 9, the current state and prospects of the multifaceted Russian-Azerbaijani relationship were discussed. Particular emphasis was placed on current issues on the bilateral agenda and plans for their implementation. The schedule of contacts for 2026, including consultations between the Foreign Ministries, was reviewed.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening political dialogue across all areas and expanding trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian cooperation in line with the provisions of the Declaration on Allied Cooperation signed by the leaders of the two countries on February 22, 2022. The Russian side stressed the importance of the prompt release of the 11 Russian citizens detained in Baku in late June and early July.
A number of regional issues were discussed in detail, including Azerbaijani-Armenian normalisation and Russia’s possible facilitation of this process based on the series of trilateral agreements reached at the highest level in 2020–2022. The importance of enhancing multilateral cooperation within the five Caspian states was reaffirmed. Mutual interest was expressed in ensuring the smooth functioning of the 3+3 Regional Cooperation Platform (Russia–Iran–Turkiye plus Azerbaijan–Armenia–Georgia), with a view to enabling the countries of the South Caucasus and their immediate neighbours to resolve the region’s issues themselves.
A discussion was also held on matters related to the CIS and other organisations operating on the Eurasian continent. A number of international topics of mutual interest were discussed.
The talks took place in the friendly and trusting atmosphere which is traditional in Russian-Azerbaijani relations.
