Putin to hold talks with Azerbaijan’s president in Baku on Thursday

Russian President Vladimir Putin will arrive in Baku on Thursday on a working visit, Yuri Ushakov, the Russian presidential aide, told reporters on Wednesday.

During the visit, Putin is due to meet with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, to address the Russia-Azerbaijan interregional forum and to watch competitions of the 2018 World Judo Championships, he said.

"On September 27, the president will pay a brief working visit to Baku upon Ilham Aliyev’s invitation," Ushakov said.

The two leaders will hold bilateral talks and then will address a plenary session of the 9th Russia-Azerbaijan interregional forum. Later on, they are expected to attend competitions of the 2018 World Judo Championships’ final day.

The Russian presidential aide pointed out that Putin had visited the Budapest World Judo Championships in August 2017.

According to Ushakov, Russia and Azerbaijan are accelerating their cooperation, including at the highest level. He added that at the talks in Baku Putin and Aliyev "will apparently speak about results of the agreements adopted in Sochi on September 1 (at their previous meeting)."

Besides, Putin and Aliyev are due to meet at a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS, an assembly of post-Soviet states) in Dushanbe on Friday, September 28.

The Russia-Azerbaijan interregional forum has been held annually since 2010, Ushakov noted, but this year the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan will attend it for the first time. The forum is due to bring together delegations from ten Russian regions and from over 200 companies. Nearly 700 participants are expected to come.

"More than 20 joint documents and contracts are planned to be signed at the forum," Ushakov said.

After his visit to Baku, Putin will head for Dushanbe to attend the CIS summit scheduled for September 28.