Azerbaijani, Russian leaders mull ties, regional situation [UPDATE]

By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has congratulated his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the occasion of his birthday on October 7, Azertag has reported.

In a phone call on October 7, Aliyev wished Putin the best of health and new successes in his state activities for Russia's development and prosperity.

Putin thanked Aliyev for the attention and congratulations.

During the conversation, the presidents hailed the successful development of Azerbaijan-Russia bilateral friendly relations in various fields. 

The heads of state expressed their confidence that the cooperation between the two countries would continue to strengthen.

They also exchanged views on the issues relating to prospects for bilateral ties. In addition, the parties discussed the regional situation.

Azerbaijan and Russia are cooperating in different spheres of the economy. Earlier this year Azerbaijan participated in a number of international exhibitions held in Russia. The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia amounted to $2.6 billion in 2020, making Russia Azerbaijan’s third-largest partner. Additionally, Azerbaijan is a major supplier of fruits and vegetables to Russia. The country ranked first in supplies of fresh and chilled tomatoes.

Russia also played a prominent role in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict resolution. The trilateral peace deal signed by the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders on November 10, 2020, ended the 30-year conflict between Baku and Yerevan over Azerbaijan’s Karabakh that along with seven adjacent regions came under the occupation of Armenian armed forces in the war in the 1990s.