Moscow aims to open up the full potential of relations with Baku. Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), stated this at Thursday’s press briefing—and commenting on Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev’s decision not to travel to Moscow to attend the Victory Day anniversary military parade on May 9.

“We [i.e. Moscow] are building relations with Baku on the basis of the declaration on allied cooperation signed at the highest level in February 2022. Our party is committed to consistently revealing the full potential of this key document for bilateral relations and resolving all emerging issues on the basis of mutual benefit, mutual respect,” Zakharova said.

She added that Moscow and Baku “hold a number of contacts at the highest level between governments and foreign ministries.”

“It is surprising that from Azerbaijan we did not have corresponding ceremonial [army] units to share this holiday with us and fill it with their magnificent participation, as well as to honor the memory of veterans who served in the ranks of the Red Army in various republics of the Soviet Union, being ethnic Azerbaijanis. Why don’t you pay attention to this?” Zakharova noted.

She emphasized that the Russian side is happy that the peoples of Russia and Azerbaijan “are united in their respectful attitude to historical memory, in the impossibility of forgetting the feat of their ancestors.”

“As for the schedule of the leaders [of Russia and Azerbaijan], firstly, they have already talked about it at the presidential office. Secondly, different things happen. But simply not seeing the obvious is also not right, not fair and, by the way, very dangerous,” concluded the Russian MFA spox.