Putin and Aliyev Hold Brief Meeting on Sidelines of SCO Summit in Bishkek

Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev met briefly Tuesday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in a public sign of contact after a period of strained relations.

Images of the Russian and Azerbaijani presidents were released by media, but no details of their conversation emerged. The meeting followed a recent announcement by both countries that they had overcome a crisis in their relationship.

At the end of July, Putin and Aliyev spoke by telephone and described their countries’ ties as "constructive", despite differences over the war in Ukraine. The relationship had deteriorated sharply after Russian air defenses shot down an Azerbaijani passenger plane in December 2024 while responding to a Ukrainian drone attack. Moscow and Baku later considered that incident closed.

Tensions rose again in mid-July after Aliyev expressed support for Ukraine and called for an immediate end to hostilities. The brief encounter in Bishkek took place as the two governments sought to present relations as repaired, although the account provided no further information about any agreements or decisions from the meeting.

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constructive relations