Putin’s Visit to Baku

Zierikzee [ENA] Putin’s Visit to Baku In recent days, the world’s political elite closely followed the events unfolding in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. On August 18th and 19th, Russian President Vladimir Putin paid an official visit to Baku. Why did Putin choose to visit Baku at this particular time, amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, and setting aside the Kursk issue?

Before the visit, the official Kremlin noted that the development of allied and strategic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia would be discussed. Some experts on the Azerbaijani side believe that the main goals of the visit were economic and energy-related issues. "The topics that Putin is expected to discuss in Baku can be listed as follows: 1. Enhancing the potential of the North-South transport corridor 2. Selling Russian gas to European countries using Azerbaijan’s resources

3. Moscow’s role as a mediator between Baku and Yerevan," wrote Azerbaijani political analyst Elkhan Shahinoglu on his Facebook page regarding Putin's visit. He added, "There are also opinions that Baku could be chosen as the venue for negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. Baku has such experience. Although Putin has ruled out peace talks with Kyiv following Ukraine's attacks on Russian territory, the Kremlin leader is not unaware that the situation is turning against him and his country."

During his visit, Putin discussed various topics, including the ongoing war with Ukraine, the peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the relations between Russia and Azerbaijan. On the final day of the visit, a statement summarizing the Baku talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, noted that the parties agreed to continue strengthening interstate relations based on mutual respect for state sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, equal rights, and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

Of course, some of what I have written are assumptions, while others are officially disclosed information to the public. It can be assumed that during such visits, many topics are discussed behind closed doors, and these are not always fully disclosed to the press, leaving the public only partially informed. I believe that at this moment, there are likely some undisclosed aspects behind the Russian President’s visit to Azerbaijan. As time progresses, the course of events may reveal some of the hidden aspects of this visit (if they exist). For now, all we can do is listen to what has been said and wait.