Ukrainian social media users are declaring en masse their refusal to use the services of Azerbaijani SOCAR filling stations in Ukraine.
The reason was that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received an official visit from Russian leader Vladimir Putin for the first time in six years. The dictator’s visit to Baku lasted from August 18-19.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin: he is accused of illegally transferring Ukrainian children from occupied territories to Russia, which is considered a war crime. But Azerbaijan has not ratified the Rome Statute, which is the basis for the ICC’s activities. This means that Putin can come to Azerbaijan without the risk of being deprived of his freedom, writes RFI.
Russia is Azerbaijan’s third trading partner after Italy and Turkey: 8.5% of Baku’s foreign trade operations are carried out with Moscow. The countries’ trade turnover is growing, last year it amounted to $4.3 billion, which is 17.5% more than in 2022.
Ahead of the visit, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Moscow Polad Bulbul-oglu said his country was interested in joining BRICS.
Putin arrived in Azerbaijan on the evening of August 18: he had dinner with Aliyev and his wife. Local media write that the Russian dictator brought almost the entire government with him, writes Novosti.
On August 19, Putin and Aliyev held personal and extended talks in Baku. The parties announced the start of joint production of tankers, the upcoming opening of an Azerbaijani-Russian university, and increased cooperation in the agricultural sector.
The agenda also included issues of peaceful settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Aliyev noted that the stability of the entire South Caucasus depends on the interaction between Baku and Moscow. And Putin said that Russia is ready to facilitate the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and help create a peace agreement, in particular, on delimitation and demarcation.
After the capture of Nagorno-Karabakh by the Azerbaijani army and the mass flight of the Armenian population from there (with the Kremlin remaining completely silent), Yerevan distanced itself from Russian influence and mediation in this matter, notes Stanislav Pritchin, head of the Central Asia sector at IMEMO.
In such conditions, it is important for Moscow to demonstrate its presence in the region, as well as to maintain the intensity of political dialogue with the republics of the South Caucasus at the current level, writes RFI.
The leaders of the two nations also spoke about the development of railway and road networks within the South-North corridor, which is to connect Russia and Iran. Aliyev noted that the corridor is successfully operating and being modernized in Azerbaijan.
Russia and Azerbaijan will begin to jointly build tankers for transporting oil products, Putin said following the talks. According to him, the use of these tankers, including on the Azov-Black Sea and Caspian routes, “will allow for a significant increase in energy supplies to world markets.”
In the run-up to the talks, Russian and Azerbaijani media reported that Putin and Aliyev intended to discuss the use of the Azerbaijani gas transportation system, or the so-called Southern Gas Corridor.
Various experts suggest that Russia could use this corridor to supply Russian gas to international markets, including Europe, since Hungary and some Southern European countries are interested in such supplies. However, according to the Kremlin, no documents have been signed in this area, RFI points out.
Russian monopoly Gazprom has announced that it has reached an agreement “to expand a multifaceted strategic partnership” with Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR.
According to Gazprom Chairman of the Management Board Alexey Miller, who was part of the Russian delegation, the discussions include, in particular, the North-South project and the signing of a comprehensive scientific and technical cooperation program between Russian and Azerbaijani companies in September 2024.
Following the meeting, the parties signed a joint statement and intergovernmental agreements on cooperation in areas such as food safety, quarantine and plant protection, healthcare, medical education and science. Memorandums of understanding were also concluded on labor inspection, climate change, and between the Russian Direct Investment Fund and the Azerbaijani Export and Investment Promotion Agency.
Putin is worried about the situation in Kursk region, and in the meantime he is going to Azerbaijan, – Ukrainian orientalist expert Igor Semivolos comments on the visit.
He believes that one of the possible reasons for the visit is that the Russian president needed to go somewhere right now and demonstrate that he continues to keep his finger on the pulse and is in control of the situation, including in the zone (…) of Russian interests.
Another possible reason for the visit is the interest in Azerbaijan as a link between Russia and Iran, which are close allies.
Azerbaijan is one of the key elements of the South-North transport corridor. And without a railway from Azerbaijan to Iran and from Azerbaijan to Russia, the corridor will not work. There was a lot of talk about this in previous years, plans were made, but, as I understand it, all this is being done very sluggishly. So the Russians went there to find out the circumstances and, perhaps, speed up the processes, – says Semivolos.
In this context, it is also important for Moscow that Baku establishes closer relations with Tehran. Because the Azerbaijani authorities are currently cooperating more with Israel, and are taking a reserved position with regard to Iran.
According to Semivolos, despite the statements of Azerbaijani diplomats, there is no talk yet of Baku joining organizations such as the CSTO and BRICS.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.