Putin: Azerbaijan is a "good partner", Russia ready to cooperate on gas rather than compete

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Azerbaijan a "good partner" of Russia on October 28 at the Gas Exporting Countries Forum in Moscow, OC Media reports, citing TASS. He said Russia supplies Turkey with up to 30 billion cubic metres of gas a year, far more than Azerbaijan.

"But we do not see ourselves as competitors. On the contrary, we are ready to cooperate," Putin said, in OC Media's English rendering. He said he is in "active dialogue" with President Ilham Aliyev.

After the crisis

The remarks follow strained relations over the 2024 Azerbaijan Airlines crash and the deaths of Azerbaijani nationals in Russian custody in 2025. Both sides said in April 2026 that the issues around the crash had been settled.