Putin meets Azerbaijani president in Baku to strengthen ties as regional tensions persist

Associated Press

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — Russian leader Vladimir Putin has held talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart as part of a two-day trip to secure Moscow’s under-pressure trade routes and shore up ties in the South Caucasus. Business links were high on the agenda as Putin and President Ilham Aliyev met in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku on Monday. Aliyev announced that $120 million had been earmarked to boost cargo transport between the two countries. Analyst Zardusht Alizade said such ties are a priority for Putin, who increasingly depends on countries such as Azerbaijan to access global markets because of sanctions imposed on Moscow over Russia’s war on Ukraine.