Lavrov-Bayramov: two preliminary agreements, and Ukraine: Will Aliyev "accept the challenge"?
18-07-2026 10:15 Politics
1in.am The meeting between the foreign ministers of Russia and Azerbaijan in Moscow has concluded with a joint press conference. Prior to that, Sergey Lavrov and Jeyhun Bayramov held face-to-face negotiations, followed by discussions in a delegation format. It is currently unknown what level of officials participated in the "expanded discussions."
Judging by the statements made at the press conference, the parties have reached two preliminary agreements. In September, a meeting of the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation is scheduled to be held under the leadership of Deputy Prime Ministers Overchuk and Mustafayev, and in December, the Milli Majlis delegation will be hosted in the State Duma.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov recalled that the previous meeting of the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation took place last April. The significance of that event was that the delegation led by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Overchuk met with their Azerbaijani counterparts in the Jebrail region, symbolizing Russia's involvement in the "restoration of liberated territories" and the "Azerbaijani side's readiness" to engage in the Russian-Iranian strategic partnership.
The parties have reached a preliminary agreement regarding the next meeting of the Russia-Azerbaijan intergovernmental economic cooperation commission amidst the tense situation in Iran and its surroundings, and under the conditions of Russian-American "diplomatic chill."
In this regard, it is particularly noteworthy that during the joint press conference with Bayramov, Lavrov was asked a question regarding the Ukrainian conflict, to which the Russian Foreign Minister responded that Vladimir Putin "accepted the proposals of U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska, and Trump's European allies, and of course, Mr. Zelensky, are trying to pull him back from those proposals."
On July 13, Ilham Aliyev called on Ukrainians from occupied Shushi to "never reconcile with occupation." This is what Ukraine's European partners are doing. According to Lavrov, Russia "will continue the work it started after the failure of all attempts to resolve the issue peacefully."
Azerbaijani media has reported that Bayramov will "immediately visit Kyiv after Moscow." In this context, Lavrov's statement about continuing the Ukrainian war "until a victorious conclusion" seems to serve as a warning to Baku. How Aliyev will perceive this will become clear in the near future; if Bayramov indeed travels to Kyiv, it means Aliyev has "accepted Putin's challenge."
* This text was automatically translated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
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