Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev agreed to maintain regular contact at multiple levels and expand cooperation in key sectors, the Kremlin said following a phone conversation between the two leaders.
According to the official readout, both presidents reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening trade, economic, and investment ties, as well as advancing joint projects in energy and transport logistics.
“The mutual intention to further develop trade and economic cooperation was confirmed,” the Kremlin statement said, adding that the two sides agreed to “continue contacts at various levels.”
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The discussion also covered key bilateral issues, regional cooperation, and broader international developments.
The call followed Putin and Aliyev’s meeting earlier this month at the CIS summit in Dushanbe – their first high-level encounter since the December 2024 downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) passenger jet by Russian air defense forces.
The aircraft was struck while flying over Russian territory and crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 people, including seven Russian citizens. The incident triggered one of the sharpest diplomatic crises between Moscow and Baku in recent memory.
In the months that followed, tensions deepened: Azerbaijan demanded the closure of the Russian House cultural center in Baku, Russian authorities detained several Azerbaijani nationals in Yekaterinburg in connection with a decades-old murder case, and the head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in the city, Shahin Shykhlinski, along with his son, was arrested.
At the Dushanbe summit, Putin described the rift as a “crisis of emotions, not relations,” insisting that trade and energy cooperation had continued to grow despite the political fallout.
Now, both sides appear ready for a cautious reset. In their latest conversation, the Kremlin said, Putin and Aliyev confirmed plans to deepen cooperation in energy and transport, and to maintain regular dialogue across all levels of government – a signal that Moscow and Baku are seeking to turn the page on one of the most turbulent chapters in their modern relations.
