Latest news with #Russia-Azerbaijan
Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Kremlin acknowledges strain in ties with Azerbaijan, hopes they will recover
Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOTO: People followed by mourners carry the coffins of Azerbaijani brothers Huseyn and Ziyaddin Safarov, who died in Russian police custody, to a cemetery in Hacibedelli, Azerbaijan, July 1, 2025, in this still image from video. Reuters TV/via REUTERS/File Photo MOSCOW - Russia-Azerbaijan relations are going through a difficult phase but Moscow is hopeful they will recover, the Kremlin said on Monday. On Saturday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said he wanted Russia to publicly acknowledge that it had accidentally shot down an Azerbaijani passenger plane last December, killing 38 people on board, and to punish those responsible. Tensions between Moscow and Baku have also escalated in recent weeks following the deaths of two ethnic Azerbaijani men in Russian police custody. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said relations between the two countries were based on a solid foundation and common interests. "But sometimes it happens that there are difficult periods in the relations between the two countries. This is one such period, and we hope that this period will pass," he told reporters. REUTERS
The Star
a day ago
- Politics
- The Star
Kremlin acknowledges strain in Russia-Azerbaijan relations
FILE PHOTO: People followed by mourners carry the coffins of Azerbaijani brothers Huseyn and Ziyaddin Safarov, who died in Russian police custody, to a cemetery in Hacibedelli, Azerbaijan, July 1, 2025, in this still image from video. Reuters TV/via REUTERS/File Photo MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia-Azerbaijan relations are currently going through a challenging phase, but Moscow remains hopeful for improvement as the two countries share common interests, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday. Tensions between Moscow and Baku have escalated in recent months following the detention of several ethnic Azerbaijanis in Russia and the death of two of them in police custody. On Saturday Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, said he wanted Russia to publicly acknowledge that it had accidentally shot down an Azerbaijani passenger plane in December last year, killing 38 people on board, and to punish those responsible. President Vladimir Putin apologised at the time to Aliyev for what the Kremlin called a "tragic incident" over Russia in which an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed after Russian air defences opened fire against Ukrainian drones. But Putin stopped short of saying Russia had shot down the aircraft. (Reporting by Dmitry AntonovWriting by Maxim Rodionov;Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Kremlin acknowledges strain in Russia-Azerbaijan relations
FILE PHOTO: People followed by mourners carry the coffins of Azerbaijani brothers Huseyn and Ziyaddin Safarov, who died in Russian police custody, to a cemetery in Hacibedelli, Azerbaijan, July 1, 2025, in this still image from video. Reuters TV/via REUTERS/File Photo MOSCOW - Russia-Azerbaijan relations are currently going through a challenging phase, but Moscow remains hopeful for improvement as the two countries share common interests, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday. Tensions between Moscow and Baku have escalated in recent months following the detention of several ethnic Azerbaijanis in Russia and the death of two of them in police custody. On Saturday Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, said he wanted Russia to publicly acknowledge that it had accidentally shot down an Azerbaijani passenger plane in December last year, killing 38 people on board, and to punish those responsible. President Vladimir Putin apologised at the time to Aliyev for what the Kremlin called a "tragic incident" over Russia in which an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed after Russian air defences opened fire against Ukrainian drones. But Putin stopped short of saying Russia had shot down the aircraft. REUTERS
India.com
03-07-2025
- Politics
- India.com
BIG trouble for anti-India Azerbaijan after supporting Pakistan, faces tensions with Russia due to...
(File) Russia-Azerbaijan tensions: Azerbaijan, which was among the few countries that supported Pakistan during the recent India-Pakistan conflict, is now facing tensions with Russia, once its close friend and ally. The Russia-Azerbaijan tensions have reached a point where both countries are targeting each other's civilians. But what caused the friction in Russia-Azerbaijan relations? Let us find out. What caused Russia-Azerbaijan tensions? The tensions between the once-close allies, stem from a plane crash in late December last year, when an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger aircraft travelling from Baku to Grozny, Chechnya in Russia, crashed in western Kazakhstan on December 25, 2024, after it was reportedly hit a missile 'accidentally' fired by a Russian air defense system. As many as 38 people out of the 67 people on board the passenger jet were killed in the crash. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the incident 'painful', and apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, but refused to take responsibility for the fatal crash which was caused by a 'stray' Russian air defense missile. Putin's stance enraged Aliyev, who accused Russia of 'suppressing' the incident, and later in May 2025, turned down an invite from Moscow to attend the Victory Day parade. Relations between Moscow and Baku deteriorated further when Ukrainian foreign minister visited the Azerbaijani capital in June. How recent events further escalated tensions? Recently, the Russia-Azerbaijan tensions escalated further when the Russian police raided homes of several members of the Azerbaijani community in Yekaterinburg, Russia's fourth-largest city, in connection with a decades-old murder case. Two brother of Azerbaijani origin–Huseyn and Ziyaddin Safarov– were killed in the police raid, while several others sustained severe injuries. The mortal remains of the duo were flown to Azerbaijan where investigation and medical examination of the bodies revealed that the brothers had been beaten to death by the Russian cops. The incident further escalated the already heated Russia-Azerbaijan tensions as Baku called off all scheduled meetings with Russian officials, and cancelled all cultural events between the two countries. Cops raid Sputnik office in Azerbaijan Earlier this week, on Monday, the Azerbaijani police raided the office of Russian news agency Sputnik, and arrested seven of its employees. Eight Russian IT experts and other Russian citizens were also arrested on charges of drug trafficking and cyber crime. Soon, pictures emerged of the arrested Russians surfaced online, showing visible signs of torture, sparking anger in Russia, with people demanding strict action against Azerbaijan A day later, Russian special forces detained an Azerbaijani community leader from Yekaterinburg for questioning. A video shared on Russian social media platforms showed special forces smashing the glass of the Azerbaijani leader's car and dragging him out of the vehicle along with his son. The incident drew strong condemnation from Baku, while the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Azerbaijani ambassador to register protest against the arrest of Sputnik employees. Later, in a tit-for-tat move, Azerbaijan also summoned the Russian ambassador and demanded a thorough investigation into the deaths of Azerbaijanis killed in police custody. Ukraine adding 'fuel to fire'? Meanwhile, in a move seemingly meant to provoke Russia, Azerbaijan President Aliyev dialed Volodymyr Zelensky–Moscow's arch nemesis, to discuss Russia-Azerbaijan tensions. The Ukrainian President expressed his support for Azerbaijan, according to Baku. The move has angered Russian President Vladimir Putin, with Dmitry Peskov, spokesman of the Russian Presidential Palace Kremlin, accusing of adding 'fuel to the fire' to take advantage of the tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan.
