Putin Seeks Reset in Bilateral Ties with Azerbaijan Following AZAL Crash

After discussions in Dushanbe with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed optimism that the "bad page" in relations with Azerbaijan, which arose due to tensions following the AZAL plane crash, has now been closed.

"We discussed this with the President of Azerbaijan yesterday. I very much hope that we have turned this page and will move forward. We will develop our contacts without any complications and implement the ambitious plans that both countries have, both in logistics and in industrial cooperation," the Russian leader told a news conference following his visit to Tajikistan, The Caspian Post reports, citing TASS.

He was commenting on the results of his meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on October 9.

The latest meeting between Putin and Aliyev - the first in several months - took place on the sidelines of CIS events in Dushanbe. One of the main topics of discussion was the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane last December. After a conversation lasting over an hour, the two leaders embraced during an informal meeting of CIS leaders the previous evening.