The "bad weather" between Azerbaijan and Russia is over
The period of strained relations between Baku and Moscow appears to have come to an end, with a "toxic chapter" in bilateral ties now seemingly behind them. That was the overall conclusion of a meeting between politicians and business leaders from the two countries held on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Reviewing recent political developments, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Moscow, Rahman Mustafayev, presented notable statistics on high-level contacts.
“While there were 27 such visits in 2024, the figure fell significantly to 22 in 2025. Now, in just the first five months of this year, we are already seeing an increase in political dialogue, with around 18 visits, including meetings between the presidents. This is a positive indicator showing that the dialogue is being revived,” the ambassador said.
Continuing the discussion, Yury Danilov, Executive Director of the Russian-Azerbaijani Business Council, stressed that it is now clear that “business is no longer on pause”.
“Our relations are beginning to develop at an accelerated pace,” Danilov said.
For his part, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin stated that the driving force behind the development of bilateral relations has been the trust-based dialogue between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Source: APA
“The high level of international cooperation we have achieved together is based on the solid foundation of our shared historical past, a common linguistic space, respect for traditional spiritual values, and the multifaceted ties between the peoples of Russia and Azerbaijan,” the Russian diplomat said.
Turning to specific areas of cooperation, Galuzin proposed resuming professional dialogue between historians from the two countries and expressed Moscow’s desire to see Azerbaijan become a shareholder in the Eurasian Development Bank.
“We believe that such a step would pave the way for financing major projects in the republic,” the deputy foreign minister said.
Emin Agalarov, Chairman of the Azerbaijan-Russia Business Council, who is also widely known in Russia as a singer and musician, described the two countries as “good neighbours” and remarked metaphorically:
“The bad weather between Azerbaijan and Russia is over.”
“Even during the period of strained relations, I know personally that Russian tourists felt completely comfortable in Azerbaijan,” Agalarov added. “At the human level, our relations are excellent. Now there is also political will to develop them. I am confident that we will improve the situation and resolve all remaining issues. This summer, more than 50 artists from Russia will perform at our annual Dream Fest festival, and this is the best indicator of the revival of dialogue.”
Discussing tourism, Yelena Krivenkova, a representative of Delovaya Rossiya, noted that Azerbaijan receives an average of 600,000 Russian visitors annually, while no more than 100,000 Azerbaijani citizens travel to Russia each year, including for business purposes.
Source: Trend
According to her, experts see significant potential for increasing these figures. One way to stimulate growth, Krivenkova suggested, would be the creation of a joint events calendar featuring tourism-related activities, enabling Russian and Azerbaijani travellers to plan their trips in advance.
In addition to cultural, trade and economic cooperation, official Baku is also expanding military cooperation with Russia. Ambassador Rahman Mustafayev said that Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov is expected to visit Azerbaijan in October.
“We have extended an open invitation to Russian Defence Minister Mr Belousov. We are waiting for him in Baku. This visit could provide a significant boost because this is a sensitive area of cooperation, and the overall atmosphere of relations and bilateral interaction largely depends on how closely and actively we work together in this field,” the ambassador said.
Thus, despite ongoing geopolitical turbulence around the world, Russia and Azerbaijan continue to demonstrate positive momentum across key areas of cooperation. The St Petersburg International Economic Forum once again confirmed its role as an effective international platform for bringing together friends, partners and allies.
By Eldar Guliyev
St Petersburg
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