Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Azerbaijan on the evening of August 18. He is on a two-day state visit. Shortly after his arrival, Putin was welcomed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku. Official talks between Putin and Aliyev are expected to take place on August 19.
According to the agency, the Kremlin said Putin would discuss bilateral relations and ‘international and regional problems’ with his Azerbaijani counterpart. The local official news agency Asertac said the two leaders would dine at the Azerbaijani president’s official residence on Sunday evening. Russian agency RIA Novosti said Aliyev and Putin would sign joint documents and make statements to the press on Monday.
Putin will also visit and lay a wreath at the grave of the current leader’s father, Heydar Aliyev, who was president from 1993 to 2003.
Azerbaijan is a major producer of natural gas, which many European countries have turned to to make up for a sharp drop in Russian supplies since the conflict in Ukraine began in February 2022. It is also hosting the COP29 climate conference in November.
Putin’s last visit to Azerbaijan was in September 2018. Putin has an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court issued against him from March 2023 for ‘deporting’ Ukrainian children to Russia. The Kremlin, on the other hand, denies this allegation.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)