Concern is boiling over: Moscow and Baku are discussing the situation around the work of the Russian House

Russia is in contact with the Azerbaijani side and is working to resolve the issue of the possible closure of the Russian House, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told Izvestia. In February, Baku sent a note to Moscow on the termination of the work of this information and cultural center due to the absence of a legal entity. At that time, the Russian Federation declared its readiness to fulfill the necessary formalities. However, appeals to Azerbaijan with this question remained unanswered. Nevertheless, cooperation between Moscow and Baku continues to develop, and trade between the two countries is growing, experts say.

The situation around the Russian House in Azerbaijan

The situation around the possible closure of the Russian House in Baku is under consideration by diplomats of the two countries, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told Izvestia.

— We just want to settle the issue so that he (the Russian House. — Ed.) did not close. We are working on this issue in contact with the Azerbaijani side. We believe that this issue can and should be resolved within the framework of allied cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan. We believe that this is the way to approach such issues and do everything possible so that citizens of our countries can freely get acquainted with each other's culture and customs through the relevant structures in Russia and Azerbaijan," he said.

On February 3, 2025, Baku sent a note to Moscow on the termination of the activities of the Russian House. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said that the center was not registered as a legal entity and "seriously violated the legislation" of the country.

After receiving the note, the head of Rossotrudnichestvo, Yevgeny Primakov, said that Russia had repeatedly appealed to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Justice with a request to help register the Russian House, but these calls remained unanswered.

It soon became known that the owner of the building where the Russian House is located plans to sell the premises. In this regard, the staff of the center must leave it. "We regret this. We believe that this is a misunderstanding that will be resolved as a result of bilateral contacts," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also announced its readiness to "take the necessary actions to complete the registration" and expressed hope for a positive solution to the issue.

The Foreign Ministry later drew attention to the disinformation campaign, when fake materials were distributed online calling for participation in a certain "rally in support of the Russian House in Baku." The campaign was aimed at "undermining Russian-Azerbaijani relations," the Foreign Ministry said.

In addition, at the end of January, Baku TV channel accused the Russian House of allegedly espionage activities. Yevgeny Primakov denied this information and said that the agency would file a lawsuit in court.

How are relations between Russia and Azerbaijan developing?

Despite the crisis moments that have arisen, cooperation between the Russian Federation and Azerbaijan continues, Darya Saprynskaya, a researcher at the Laboratory of Modern Central Asia and the Caucasus Studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.

— The parties are now trying to find a stable balance for cooperation. The dialogue persists despite the crisis moments. It's a plane crash, the closure of the Russian House. But we still interact," the expert says.

On December 25, the Embraer E190 of the Azerbaijani company AZAL crashed. The plane was flying on the Baku–Grozny route. On December 28, Vladimir Putin, in a telephone conversation with Ilham Aliyev, apologized for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace, and once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured. At that time, Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were attacked by Ukrainian UAVs and Russian air defense systems repelled these attacks.

Cooperation is developing at least in the trade and economic sphere. Azerbaijan exports agricultural products and other food products to Russia. Russia is also the largest supplier of agricultural products to the republic, accounting for almost a third of the republic's total food imports in 2024.

The trade turnover between the two countries is growing: According to the results of the first quarter of 2025, it amounted to $1.43 billion (+60.7% YoY). Russia is one of the three foreign trade partners of Azerbaijan after Italy and Turkey, accounting for 10.1% of turnover.

Cooperation between the parties takes place not only at the federal level, but also at the regional level. For example, more than 70 Russian entities are developing cooperation with Azerbaijan.

An industrial park is also expected to open in Azerbaijan. Russia hopes to launch it in 2025, Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Roman Chekushov said earlier. "This year we hope to launch an industrial park in the city of Sumgait. This is the first experience of a joint project with our Azerbaijani partners. We are confident that it will also be in demand by Russian enterprises," he said.

The parties also maintain diplomatic contacts, INF program manager Milan Lazovich tells Izvestia.

— Contacts at the highest and highest levels are consistently maintained. Let us recall the visit of Valentina Matvienko to Baku and the invitation of Ilham Aliyev to the Victory Day Parade, participation in the parade of the Azerbaijani military. The Russian side proceeds from the fact that we are building relations with Azerbaijan on the basis of the Declaration on Allied Cooperation signed by Presidents Putin and Aliyev in Moscow in February 2022," the expert noted.

Pay for payment: France unblocked the account of the Russian House in Paris

In which European countries did the centers have to be completely closed and what is the situation in Moldova?

On March 16-17, a delegation of the Federation Council headed by Valentina Matvienko visited Azerbaijan. During the visit, the speaker met with First Vice-President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva, and the next day the Chairman of the Federation Council was received by Ilham Aliyev himself.

In April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a meeting in Moscow with Khalaf Khalafov, the representative of the President of Azerbaijan for special assignments. A few days later, the Foreign Ministers of Russia and Azerbaijan met at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum in Turkey.

However, Ilham Aliyev did not come to Moscow to celebrate the 80th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War on May 9. In Baku, this was explained by his participation in events dedicated to the memory of his father, Heydar Aliyev.

Moscow and Baku also cooperate in the humanitarian sphere. Azerbaijan continues to use Russian, including for teaching in secondary and higher educational institutions, says Daria Saprynskaya. A branch of Moscow State University operates in Baku.

Now there is a potential for improving relations with Azerbaijan, Mikhail Lazovich believes. However, it is extremely important to stop cultivating negative rhetoric in the media towards each other, which is very harmful to our bilateral relations.