Foreign

Home page

Foreign

Georgian expert: Russia does not like Azerbaijan's independent policy in international arena

03 July 2025 14:10 (UTC +04:00)

After Baku restored full control over Karabakh, significant changes in Azerbaijan's foreign policy became inevitable, Georgian expert Emil Avdaliani told Interpressnews, APA’s Tbilisi correspondent reports.

He noted that following Baku’s liberation of Karabakh from occupation, Azerbaijan’s dependence on Moscow decreased, it began to pursue an independent policy, deepening its ties with international players, while Russia—aiming to maintain a leading role in the South Caucasus—disapproved of Azerbaijan’s new policy.

“Although the noted tension between Baku and Moscow began in December 2024 with the downing of an Azerbaijani plane over Russian territory, the incident that occurred a few days ago in Yekaterinburg has further escalated the relations between the two countries. I believe these events are more excuses than the real cause of the tension. After the official Baku removed Russian peacekeepers and regained full control over Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023, significant changes in Azerbaijan's foreign policy became inevitable. Baku’s political dependence on Moscow decreased. At the same time, it is observed that Azerbaijan has been actively engaging in recent months with other key players such as Pakistan, the United States, the European Union, Central Asian countries, and Israel. This also includes the developing relations with Iran and the traditionally close ties with Türkiye. Naturally, Russia, which aims to play a leading role in the South Caucasus, does not welcome Azerbaijan’s strengthening and its pursuit of a foreign policy independent of Moscow on the international stage. At the same time, Azerbaijan remains an important trade, economic, and transit partner for Russia. The western section of the North-South corridor that connects Russia with Iran, the Gulf, and India passes through Azerbaijan. Baku understands this advantage well, which partly explains Azerbaijan’s unexpectedly harsh reaction to the Yekaterinburg incidents,” Avdaliani noted.