In Azerbaijan, Vladimir Putin offers help in reaching peace deal with Armenia

“If we could do something to get a peace agreement signed between Azerbaijan and Armenia, we would be very happy.”the Russian president said in a joint address with his counterpart Ilham Aliyev after their meeting. The head of state added that after his visit to Azerbaijan, he would contact Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to “to report the results of the talks” that he had with Ilham Aliev.

These two rival countries in the Caucasus have fought several wars. In September 2023, Baku recaptured the mountainous enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenian separatists who had controlled it for decades. Believing that Moscow failed to protect it, Armenia has since sought to deepen its ties with Western countries, without, for the moment, definitively breaking with Russia, its traditional ally.

After his meeting with Vladimir Putin, the Azeri president affirmed that security in the region depended on cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia. “The new situation [depuis septembre dernier] opens new prospects for establishing lasting peace in the South Caucasus”he continued. According to the Kremlin, this visit is an opportunity for the two leaders to discuss “issues relating to the development of strategic partnership relations”as well as “current international and regional issues”. Vladimir Putin’s previous trip to Azerbaijan was in September 2018.