Putin affirms Russia’s readiness to participate in resolving situation in S. Caucasus

Russia is ready to participate in resolving the situation in the South Caucasus, said President Vladimir Putin during a limited-format meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, News.Az reports.

"We touched on this topic yesterday, and today we will continue. It concerns the resolution of the situation in the South Caucasus. It is clear, and well known, that Russia is facing crises, particularly in the Ukrainian direction. However, Russia’s historical involvement in the South Caucasus in recent years necessitates our participation in these events, of course, to the extent that it is needed by the parties involved," said President Putin.

He also noted, "If we can contribute to reaching a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, finalizing the delimitation and demarcation of borders, or unblocking relevant logistical or economic routes, as we have discussed many times, we would be very pleased to do so."

Putin stated that the Declaration on Allied Interaction between Azerbaijan and Russia is being successfully implemented.

The Russian leader underlined, "Our relations are developing and being successfully implemented based on the Declaration we signed at the beginning of 2022. Your visit to Moscow this April has given a strong boost to the development of our bilateral relations. Our economic and trade relations are progressing successfully."

Putin also stressed that Moscow and Baku have many areas for collaboration.

The Russian president emphasized: “Trade and economic relations are developing successfully. During our previous meeting in Russia, you mentioned that slightly over 4 billion [annual turnover – ed.] is a good figure. That is a good figure, but it does not match the potential of our capabilities. Indeed, we can talk not only about energy, industrial cooperation, transportation, logistics, and light industry. We have many areas for joint collaboration. Direct investments exceeding four billion dollars in the Azerbaijani economy are also a significant indicator. More than 1,270 enterprises with Russian capital are operating in Azerbaijan, and this number is certainly not the limit.”

News.Az