Russia played a key role in blocking Azerbaijan's accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), as reported by the APA publication, citing diplomatic sources.

According to the publication, Moscow, acting behind the scenes, agreed with India that Delhi would formally initiate the blocking, while it itself preferred to remain in the shadows. This step, APA emphasizes, can be regarded as a manifestation of disrespect for China, which actively supports the expansion of the SCO and advocates for the admission of Azerbaijan.

At the recent SCO summit in China, a bilateral meeting between the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan also did not take place. Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev only formally shook hands in accordance with diplomatic etiquette.

At the same time, at a press conference following his visit to China, Putin said that Moscow and Baku should move towards normalizing bilateral relations. Commenting on the state of diplomacy between the two countries, the head of the Kremlin emphasized that in international politics, questions inevitably arise related to current circumstances or the situation. At the same time, he expressed confidence that the solid foundation of Russian-Azerbaijani relations and mutual interest in their development will help smooth out all contradictions.