BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 18. Azerbaijan has declined to participate in today’s meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Economic Council in Moscow, a source familiar with the matter told Trend.
The country is typically represented at such meetings by First Deputy Prime Minister Yaqub Eyyubov, who will not be attending this session.
"The decision stems from recent developments in Yekaterinburg, the downing of a civilian aircraft, and Russia’s unwillingness to take appropriate steps to address these issues," the source said.
Relations between Baku and Moscow have sharply deteriorated in recent months. On June 27, Russian security forces conducted raids targeting Azerbaijani nationals in Yekaterinburg. Two brothers, Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov, were killed during the operation, and several others were detained.
Commenting on the events, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the deliberate killings, vigilante-style actions, and violence by Russian law enforcement targeting Azerbaijanis in Yekaterinburg based on their ethnic background have rightly sparked outrage and condemnation in Azerbaijan.
The current diplomatic rift traces back to a tragic incident on December 25, 2024, when an AZAL passenger plane en route from Baku to Grozny was shot down over Chechnya by Russian air defense systems. All 38 people on board were killed.
In the aftermath, Azerbaijan called on Moscow to conduct a full investigation, issue a public apology, and offer compensation to the victims’ families. However, the Russian government has yet to issue a formal response or take any public steps toward reconciliation.