RF President Dmitry Medvedev is to pay a working visit to Azerbaijan today, June 29, 2009. The Kremlin press service reports that the Russian leader is visiting Azerbaijan on Azerbaijani President Ilkham Aliyev’s invitation. One of the major issues on the agenda is energy cooperation, particularly, the purchase of Azerbaijani gas by Russia. Earlier, Alexey Miller, Chairman of Gazprom OJSC Management Committee, reported that relevant documents are to be signed.

“Gazprom could purchase Azerbaijani gas starting January 1, 2010,” Alexey Miller stated. According to him, the Russian concern “can offer Azerbaijan most favorable terms for gas purchase.” The parties will also discuss Russian-Azerbaijani cooperation under the global financial — economic crisis. Presidents Medvedev and Aliyev are also to negotiate the issue of expediting the preparations for the 3rd Summit of Caspian States in Baku.

Another issue, that the Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents will definitely discuss is the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

As one of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, Russia continues contributing to the process of finding a compromise. On November 2, 2008, at their meeting in Moscow, the Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents signed a declaration wherein they re-affirmed their commitments to the political settlement of the conflict.