Russian president to visit Azerbaijan

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Azerbaijan to meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on August 13.

According to the Russian president's assistant Yuri Ushakov, practically a full range of bilateral issues are planned to be discussed during the talks.

A package of five or six bilateral documents, including the Comprehensive Plan on Cooperation between the Ministries of Emergency Situations of Russia and Azerbaijan, will be signed at the end of the upcoming talks. In addition, the agreements in the fields of transport and energy may be signed, Ushakov added.

The Russian delegation includes the Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Energy Minister Alexander Novak, Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Puchkov, Transportation Minister Maxim Sokolov, Minister of Economic Development Alexei Ulyukayev.

Moreover, the delegation will include the general Director of Rosoboronexport Anatoly Isaikin, Head of the Russian delegation to the multilateral talks on the Caspian Sea Igor Bratchikov, Head of Rosneft Igor Sechin and Head of Lukoil Vagit Alekperov.

Ushakov noted that ships of the Russian Caspian Flotilla, guided by Dagestan missile ship and Volgodonsk small artillery ship will be in Baku bay with a friendly visit on August 13, during the Russian-Azerbaijani talks.

Putin will visit Azerbaijan for the fourth time as Russian president. His first visit to Azerbaijan was made in 2001. Documents signed during the visit, including a joint statement on the principles of cooperation in the Caspian Sea, became a new page in Azerbaijani-Russian cooperation.

"During the talks, the presidents will touch upon the key issues of the international and regional agenda, the legal regime of the Caspian Sea, as well as the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Ushakov said.

The Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. The two South Caucasus neighbors fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a precarious cease-fire in 1994. Armenian armed forces have since occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory. Peace talks brokered by US, Russian and French mediators through the OSCE Minsk Group have been largely fruitless so far.

Preparations for the third Baku International Humanitarian Forum, which will take place on October 31-November 1, are also expected to be discussed during the visit.

Azerbaijan and Russia reached a record level of turnover of 3.4 billion dollars at the end of 2012. In 2013, the countries are expecting to reach four billion dollars turnover.

Over the past ten years, Azerbaijan invested some $563 million in the Russian economy, while the Russian side recently invested $468 million in the Azerbaijani economy.

At present, about 500 companies with Russian capital operate in Azerbaijan.

Adapted from TODAY.AZ