By Natalia Konarzewska

February 3, 2020, the CACI Analyst

The end of 2019 saw increasing diplomatic activity between Azerbaijan and Russia, at a time when Russia wants to strengthen its profile in Azerbaijan and bring the country closer to Moscow-promoted multilateral initiatives. This is partly due to Azerbaijan’s increasing geopolitical importance to the West and China, being a key participant in the Southern Gas Corridor and a prospectively important one in the Belt and Road initiative (BRI). Russia also wants Azerbaijan to counterbalance its traditional South Caucasus ally Armenia, whereas Azerbaijan expects Russia’s assistance in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which is nevertheless unlikely to materialize.

By Alman Mir Ismail

July 14, 2017, the CACI Analyst

Azerbaijani-Russian relations have been on the rise in recent year thanks to strong political dialogues between the two Presidents and the growth of mutually beneficial trade relations. Yet recent events in Moscow have damaged this trend. Azerbaijan considers the closure of its diaspora organization in Russia as an insult to bilateral friendship. At the same time, the escalation of Armenian attacks on Azerbaijani villages is seen as being blessed by the Kremlin. These developments could hurt Russia’s strategic position in Azerbaijan and push official Baku to seek security arrangements elsewhere.