Azerbaijani Lawmaker Denied Entry to Russia Amid Rising Diplomatic Strain

Russia has prohibited an Azerbaijani lawmaker from entering its territory amid escalating diplomatic strains, as reported by the state-run TASS news agency on Monday, citing an anonymous source with knowledge of the situation.

On Sunday, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry expressed its discontent over the detention and subsequent deportation of parliamentary member Azer Badamov, who had visited Moscow to participate in an event commemorating the late Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev in the Astrakhan region of southern Russia.

According to Azerbaijan’s Trend news agency, a representative from the Russian Foreign Ministry assured Baku that an investigation would be conducted into the details surrounding Badamov’s brief detention.

TASS quoted a source indicating that Badamov was labeled persona non grata due to his «repeated anti-Russian and Russophobic remarks,» although this action was described as «not aimed at harming Russian-Azerbaijani relations.»

The source implied that the entry ban could be a retaliatory step following Azerbaijan’s decision in February to deny entry to Russian State Duma lawmaker and former boxing champion Nikolai Valuev. Reports suggest that Valuev was the third Russian legislator barred from entering Azerbaijan.

«The Russian government does not support entry bans concerning friendly nations,» the TASS source remarked. «Moscow believes such matters should be resolved through diplomatic means instead of public disputes.»

Tensions between Moscow and Baku have been heightened since a tragic December incident involving an Azerbaijan Airlines flight from Baku to Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, which resulted in the deaths of 38 out of 67 passengers.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has claimed that Russian air defense systems unintentionally shot down the aircraft. In a rare move, Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized but stopped short of taking full responsibility, stating that the air defenses were reacting to a Ukrainian drone attack coinciding with the day of the crash.