On February 22, 2022, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev and the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir signed the “Declaration on Allied Interaction between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation”. Under the terms of the 43-point declaration, which covers almost all areas of bilateral relations, both sides have pledged to respect each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
However, if we look at the steps taken by Russia in recent days, it is clear that our northern neighbor does not want to stand by its word and fulfill its obligations under the agreement, declaration or other documents. That is why the name of the humanitarian aid sent to Ukraine by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation from “Nagorno-Karabakh” can be taken as a clear example of the intentions of the other side.

Such a statement was made by the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan; “There is no administrative-territorial unit called Nagorno-Karabakh in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Russian Federation has repeatedly stated its support for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of its borders. was detected.
Contrary to the official position of the Russian Federation, the official statements of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation have previously referred to the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan under this name.
Such statements could damage Azerbaijani-Russian relations and escalate tensions along Azerbaijani territories where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed.
The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan calls on the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation to stop the practice of applying to the sovereign territories of our country under the name of administrative-territorial units that do not exist in the Republic of Azerbaijan. ”
In my opinion, this statement is timely and appropriate. Then, the fact that the Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov, summoned the top command of the Ministry of Defense and ordered them to respond immediately to any incident that occurred, shows that the Azerbaijani side is in control of the situation. At the same time, it also shows that although Azerbaijan has duly complied with the requirements of any bilateral, multilateral or other documents it has signed, this step cannot be taken by Russia.
Of course, everyone knows why Russia took such provocative steps. Azerbaijan’s statement that Russian “peacekeepers” may create tension in the areas where they are temporarily stationed suggests that Russian “peacekeepers” will be responsible for any possible negative actions.
Of course, Azerbaijan is a sovereign state and determines its foreign policy. Such unnecessary and weak actions of the Russian side cannot have any serious impact on Azerbaijan’s foreign policy strategy.
It can be considered that if the Russian side continues such provocative actions, it may delay the ratification of the Declaration on Allied Interaction between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation, signed on February 22, 2022. Of course, Azerbaijan has nothing to lose by not ratifying the declaration.

Samir Humbatov
Center for International Relations and Diplomatic Studies