Last week, a police raid started a diplomatic crisis. Within a few days, the row between Russia and Azerbaijan used to greatly stress on stressful relations between the two.
It started on 27 June with a controversial police raid in the Russian city of Yakaterinburg, several ethnic Azeri men were arrested as part of the investigation of crimes that were behind for years. Men are accused of fulfilling murders and murders. Russian special forces became clearly difficult while arresting. Two men died, possibly as a result of a controversial raid.
Baku reacted rapidly and strongly. The Ministry of Forbin of Azerbaijan gave rise to “unacceptable work of violence” by Russian security forces. All cultural programs with Russia’s relations were canceled in protest. A presenter on Primatime State Television condemned Moscow’s “royal behavior” towards the Soviet states. On 30 June, Azerbaijan officials arrested two Russian journalists along with Russia’s state-funded news agency Sputnik Azerbaijan in Baku. According to media reports, both were working for Russian domestic security service, FSB.
Moscow plays it down, Baku up
The remaining trained by Kremlin in his response. Spokesperson Dimitri Peskov said that he regrets Baku’s decision to cancel cultural events, stating that the position in Yakaterinburgh may not be a reaction to the reaction and not. ” The Russian Foreign Ministry reported that the dead and wide men, although ethnic aeris, were the holders of Russian passports.
The next day, the Azerbaijani judicial authorities arrested more Russian citizens in Baku and carried forward the East. He is accused of drug trafficking and involvement in organized crime. Photos of the court room suggests that some detailed bees appear in the bees. Men were identified on social media as programmers and tourists of Yakaterinburg.
The spiral of mutual allegations continues. In Russia, more Azeris has been arrested in the cities of Yakaterinburgh and Voronis. Regional experts describe the line for DW as another stress on the relationship between the two countries, after the Azerbaijoni plane crash at the end of the previous year.
Why is the aircraft crashed a turn?
On December 25, 2024, a Russian surface was hit by a Russian surface to carry 62 passengers and five crews in the Azerbaijony aircraft.
The tragedy occurred over the city of Grozoni, where Russian air defense was in action. The scheme was inspired to make an emergency landing, but crashed near Kazakh city Akatau. 38 people killed.
Azerbaijan political scientist and struggle researcher Arif Younusov believes that harsh rhetoric in the media of the two countries is not a coincidence. In his view, the information policy in both Russia and Azerbaijan is coordinated by government officials, and bilateral relations are largely influenced by the individual feelings of the heads concerned of the state.
Aliev indicates annoyance with Putin
Yunusov commented that the Azerbaijani president, Ilhh for Alive, was an individual dimension to the plane crash. A president’s plan, what is flying on Russia at the time of the incident: In principle, it can also become a goal for Russian anti-ai-aercraft missiles.
In addition, Russian President Vladimir Putin was not the first official representative to apologize to Azerbaijanis, but Chechen leader Ramjan Kadirov. Yusunov says that President Ilhm Alive was angry with this. Yusunov explains, “Aliyev did not mention Kadirov by the name, but he was rapidly important, saying that the shots should be called to ether people,” Yusunov. He believes that if Putin called the bees to Aliyev, public conflict could have been avoided.
Independent Caucasus expert Kiril Krivoshiiv agree. “Putin only apologized for a formal apology, and it was clear that Aliyev was satisfied,” he told DW. However, Krivosheev emphasizes that recent events in Yekaterinburg were not initiated by Kremlin. Criminal prosecutors in Russia have their own argument, they say. “They see all the migrant population as organized crime groups, including the Azeri community. Krivosheev believes that the resulting diplomatic crisis is only a collateral damage.
According to Krivoshiva, the government in Baku is using political growth to strengthen its position on the international stage. “It is importing Aliyev that he connects as a commanding leader who is able to say both Russia and the West.”
Azerbaijan takes a vocal stand on Moscow
Azerbaijan political scientist and Parliament member Rasim Muzabkov says that Baku no longer sees Moscow as an external power in the event of determining the rules in the Caucasus. He told DW that Azerbaijan had begun to develop his own military and energy infrastructure, and that, in turn, had angered the Kremlin.
Muzabokov says that Russian media rhetoric towards Azerbaijan has become very rigid, and Moscow is now trying to compensate for its impact in the region by pressuring Azeri Diaspora.
It can be economic as well as diplomatic results – for example, in the energy market. “We don’t forget that Russia is subject to sanctions. And Azerbaijan has helped Moscow go around the thesis in some ways,” Arif Yunusov saw. “The European Parliament has established a commission, which has gas about Europe to investigate, for example. Is it azerbaijan, or is it really Russian?” If the relationship between Moscow and Baku worsened, any such deal between the two countries would be put in danger.
MP Rasim Muzbekov says other bilateral projects are in danger: the development of the International North -South Transport Corridor through Azerbaijan, and the project to synchronize the Russian and Iranian power grid. Muzabkov warning problems cannot be ruled out by the problems of transporting Russian gas through Iran.
However, economic interests are still important for Azerbaijan, saying political scientist Krivoshiv. “Idally, the Azerbaijony economy would like to clarify politics. But while there is still scope for action in Baku, Moscow has less and less profit.” Russia, he concludes, losing the impact in the Caucasus.
This article was the original published in German.
