Yunis Gurbanov
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on October 10 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, amid a deep crisis in bilateral relations between their two countries (President of Azerbaijan, October 10). The previous year has seen an avalanche of tensions in the diplomatic, informational, and political spheres that tested what had long been perceived as a pragmatic and effective relationship (see EDM, May 20, July 7, September 9; Azemedia, August 1). The Dushanbe summit, however, revealed a controlled readjustment, not a reset. It was an indicator of pragmatic moderation rather than a fresh partnership (Azernews, October 15). Baku reaffirmed the guiding principle of its foreign policy—engagement without subordination—by reestablishing contacts with Moscow without giving up independence.
The roots of the rift date back to the end of 2024, when a Russian missile defense system shot down an Azerbaijani civilian commercial aircraft near the Russian border, resulting in the plane crashing in Aktau, Kazakhstan (see EDM, January 15; Caspiannews, August 9). The incident shocked Azerbaijani society and triggered a tidal wave of diplomatic protests. Baku suspended several joint projects and refrained from top-level visits for several months. According to most commentators, Azerbaijan–Russia relations have reached an all-time low since the beginning of the 1990s (Azemedia, July 26). Putin took responsibility on Russia’s behalf for the shoot down and professed regret (Meduza, October 9). Aliyev publicly took up Putin’s acknowledgment of error. The episode demonstrated Baku’s ability to extract diplomatic advantage from challenging circumstances, a capacity that is increasingly central to its geopolitical strategy (Azertag, October 10).
No comments:
Post a Comment