Putin meeting Azerbaijani president today
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to meet his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in Moscow today.
According to the Kremlin, Putin and Aliyev will address Russia and Azerbaijan’s “strategic partnership” and exchange views on recent developments in the region. The meeting comes shortly following Russia’s confirmation that it will withdraw early the nearly 2,000 troops it deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh as part of a Moscow-brokered deal to end a six-week war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region. The agreement collapsed in September when Azerbaijani troops forcefully occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and arrested its ethnic Armenian leaders, causing 120,000 ethnic Armenians to flee.
Russia’s decision functions as de facto recognition of Azerbaijan’s right to total control of the disputed region and at the expense of its remaining Armenian residents. It is likely to lead to a significant deterioration of Russo-Armenian relations. In the medium-term, the move will likely lead to Armenian political realignment away from Russia and the erasure of Azerbaijani connections to the West. This will set up further regional enmity between Armenia and Azerbaijan, potentially leading to another military confrontation between the countries. While Russia will not totally abandon its historic ties to Armenia, the move is likely intended to solidify its other alliances in light of its war against Ukraine and concerns over a confrontation with NATO.
