Russia is playing a “pivotal” role in ensuring security in the Caucasus region during, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has claimed. He made the remarks during meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday.
His visit to the Russian capital coincided with a major development in the Southern Caucasus region. Last week, Moscow announced the withdrawal of its peacekeeping force from the Azerbaijani region of Karabakh. Aliyev told Putin that Baku was “happy with the progress in [the] resolution” of outstanding security issues in the region.
“Russia plays a pivotal role in ensuring regional security in the Caucasus and beyond. A lot depends on the actions and cooperation between our countries. We are committed to bolstering trust, cooperation, mutual understanding, and resolving issues in a spirit of collaboration and shared interests,” he stated.
The now defunct region ofg Nagorno Karabakh, previously populated mostly by ethnic Armenians, remained outside Baku’s control for decades after breaking away from the country shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The breakaway region, backed by neighboring Armenia, had been a constant source of military tensions between Yerevan and Baku and saw repeated flare-ups over the years. The latest major escalation in 2020 resulted in a major defeat for the unrecognized republic. Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the region with a mandate to monitor the situation and document ceasefire violations.
Moscow's withdrawal of its peacekeeping forces from the region signals the final step in the reintegration of the region into Azerbaijan.
Aliyev’s visit also marked the 50th anniversary of the completion of the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM), a major Soviet-era railway that stretches across Eastern Siberia into the Far East. Aliyev’s late father and former president of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, was one of the key figures who oversaw construction of the line. Following the talks, Putin and his Azrbaijani counterpart met with former builders and workers at the BAM.