Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, speaking at the 4th Shusha Global Media Forum, stated that relations between Baku and Moscow have been fully restored.

“Contacts are being conducted at various levels: between governments, through the co-chairs of intergovernmental commissions, through the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, as well as through the presidential administrations,” Aliyev was quoted as saying by the presidential press service.

Moscow’s reaction

The Kremlin and the State Duma welcomed the statement positively. Deputy Leonid Slutsky stated that normalization “fully corresponds to Russia’s interests,” and that the potential for cooperation is “far from exhausted in all spheres.” He emphasized that Moscow is “leaving moments of misunderstanding in the past” and attaches great importance to the continuation of contacts.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had earlier noted that relations are developing in line with the agreements reached at the meeting of the two countries’ leaders, calling them “partnership-based and allied.”

Background

The crisis in bilateral relations erupted after the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) aircraft near Aktau in December 2024. Baku accused Russia of failing to warn the crew about closed airspace due to air defense operations in the Grozny area. Moscow officially apologized and acknowledged that the tragedy occurred in an area of active defense against Ukrainian UAVs.

What’s next

Aliyev emphasized that the sides are now cooperating in all directions. The statement came amid a general warming in the region, including the activation of the trilateral Russia-Azerbaijan-Armenia format on the unblocking of transport communications.

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Bottom line: Baku and Moscow have officially closed the chapter of tension. The issue of compensation and details of the crash investigation remain off the public agenda for now, but the political signal is clear — the sides are ready to move forward.

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