Azerbaijan's president cites 'busy schedule' to skip Russia summit despite Kremlin expecting his attendance
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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will not attend the informal summit of leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on Dec. 22 in St. Petersburg, Azerbaijani state news agency Azertag reported.
The Kremlin had earlier signaled it expected Aliyev to attend the event and was preparing for his arrival.
His absence comes against the backdrop of strained Russia–Azerbaijan relations following a series of political disputes, despite recent efforts by Moscow and Baku to normalize ties.
Aliyev's administration told Azertag that the president would not attend because of a "busy schedule." After the reporting appeared, the Kremlin said it accepted the explanation.
"Indeed, all heads of state have very busy schedules, especially in December, in the run-up to the New Year," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
Relations between Russia and Azerbaijan have deteriorated over the past year.
Russia has carried out drone strikes in Ukraine that targeted sites linked to Azerbaijani companies, while Azerbaijan has shut down Russian propaganda outlets and detained Russian citizens.
Baku also canceled Russian cultural events and accused Russian police of torturing two Azerbaijani nationals who later died in custody in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg in June.
The rupture followed the December 2024 crash of an Azerbaijani passenger plane, which preliminary investigations suggested was hit by Russian air defense fire near Grozny.
The aircraft, flying from Baku to Grozny, crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 people on board. Although Putin later called Aliyev, Moscow initially did not formally admit responsibility.
In October, the Russian president acknowledged that Russian air defenses had launched missiles toward the Azerbaijani aircraft before it crashed. Putin made the comments during the first talks with Aliyev in Dushanbe, where regional leaders had gathered for a summit.
Aliyev last attended a CIS event in October, when he traveled to Dushanbe for a meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State on Oct. 9–10.
