Azerbaijan takes principled position amid strained relations with Russia

Although conflicts of interest have occurred from time to time in Azerbaijani-Russian relations, the fact that this time the tension has directly reached the public level and the activities of Russian power structures indicate that these relations have entered a new stage, the chairman of the Baku Political Scientists Club, Zaur Mammadov, said in his statement to Report.

Mammadov noted that although the notorious incident in Yekaterinburg was presented as just a criminal news item, this incident has deep political undertones.

According to the political scientist, such rude behavior clearly means using the expected diaspora card against Azerbaijan. In the absence of disobedience, the brutality of the police against them is a very serious and brutal crime.

Mammadov drew attention to the fact that Azerbaijani-Russian relations have entered a new stage, and at this stage, the Kremlin has begun to use more open and harsh tools to maintain its influence:

"In this context, the OMON incident is not just an incident, but a form of political signal applied against Baku. Against the background of these events, Azerbaijan, maintaining a balanced but principled position, is further strengthening its leading role in the region and becoming one of the main actors determining the real geopolitical architecture of the post-war period. Azerbaijan has made a number of strategic gestures and positions for Russia in the post-war period, but the question arises. Why is Russia maximalist towards the processes in the region despite such steps by Baku? Russia is very sensitive to two issues. First, the fact that the territories of states in the CIS space do not fall under the military-political umbrella of the West, and second, the fact that the states are not members of Western military-political organizations. Is there a contradiction between Azerbaijan and Russia on these two issues? No. On the contrary, the interests and points of view of both states coincide on many issues."

He added that Azerbaijan did not join the sanctions against Russia:

"Within the framework of the North-South transport corridor, the access of Russian goods to Iran and India is ensured through Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has created alternative transport opportunities for Russia with its railway and transit policy. No issue would cause serious irritation for Russia. It seems that some forces there are making a serious mistake regarding the Caucasus policy. Azerbaijan's policy has turned it into a reliable but independent decision-making actor in the region. This is a clear message to both Russia and other powers: the future of the Caucasus cannot be determined without Baku's participation."