President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev’s decision not to attend the informal meeting of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) leaders held in St. Petersburg has triggered serious discussions in regional politics. The move is being assessed against the backdrop of unresolved issues that have accumulated in Azerbaijan–Russia relations over the past year, with political considerations outweighing official explanations.
Commenting on the issue to ARB24 Television, political analyst Ahmad Shahidov stated that President Ilham Aliyev’s absence from the meeting was neither accidental nor merely a matter of protocol: “After an Azerbaijani civilian aircraft was shot down in Russian airspace in December last year, Moscow has taken virtually no concrete steps to conduct a proper investigation. Vladimir Putin personally promised President Ilham Aliyev that the incident would be thoroughly investigated and that those responsible would be held accountable. However, despite the passage of time, this promise has not been fulfilled.”
Ahmad Shahidov further emphasized that continued pressure on the Azerbaijani diaspora in Russia, including the ongoing court proceedings against diaspora leader Shikhlanski, demonstrates that Moscow has made no serious adjustments to its policy toward Azerbaijan: “Under these circumstances, Baku’s decision not to attend the CIS leaders’ meeting is not an emotional demarche but a calculated political stance. Azerbaijan is clearly signaling that it will not participate in symbolic platforms amid unfulfilled promises and parallel pressure.”
