Kremlin Optimistic on Putin-Aliyev Talks in Tajikistan

On the eve of the upcoming meeting between the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan, Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev, the Russian side is full of optimism. The Kremlin is confident that the leaders of the two countries will be able to discuss all the problematic issues that have accumulated in their relations. Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian president, stated this in a conversation with journalists.

He noted that the meeting will take place within the framework of the Russian president's state visit to Tajikistan, but the issue of Russian-Azerbaijani relations holds a special place on the agenda. "Currently, we are talking about Putin's state visit to Tajikistan. We have a very busy agenda. Of course, the issue of Russian-Azerbaijani relations will be discussed separately," Peskov said.

The Kremlin representative detailed that the agreement for the presidents' meeting has already been reached, and the Russian side has positive expectations. "There is an agreement for the meeting of the two presidents. We will see what the results of that meeting will be. In this case, we are optimistic. We expect that the presidents will discuss the current state of our bilateral relations and will talk about the existing problematic points," he emphasized.

Peskov also recalled that the recent telephone conversation between Putin and Aliyev took place in a "good, positive, and constructive" atmosphere. It was during that conversation that the agreement for the upcoming face-to-face meeting was reached. This indicates that the parties are inclined towards open dialogue aimed at easing the existing tension in bilateral relations and finding mutually beneficial ways of cooperation. The upcoming meeting is seen as an important opportunity to restore an atmosphere of trust and to clarify the positions of the two countries on the most important regional and bilateral issues.

It is worth noting that Russian President Putin arrived in Dushanbe on October 8.