Putin and Aliyev Agree to Meet — Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev have agreed to hold a meeting, Orda.kz reports, citing ASTRA.

According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, the agreement was reached during a “positive and constructive telephone conversation” on October 7.

Peskov added that the Kremlin is “optimistic” about the upcoming talks, during which Putin and Aliyev are expected to address several “problematic issues.”

Relations between Russia and Azerbaijan have deteriorated over the past year, following the crash of an Azerbaijani passenger plane in Aqtau, for which Baku blamed Moscow.

Later reports indicated that the aircraft was likely shot down by Russian air defenses near Grozny.

Tensions further escalated after two ethnic Azerbaijanis were killed during a police raid in Yekaterinburg.