An official state ceremony with a guard of honor was held to welcome Putin in Baku on Monday, the second day of his trip. He then proceeded to hold a meeting with Aliyev, according to Azeri media outlet Azer News.

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported that he and Aliyev would publish a joint statement, sign documents and speak to the press later that day.

According to the Kremlin press office, the topics discussed will include the “Russia-Azerbaijan strategic partnership and alliance,” as well as “international and regional problems.”

The Russian president is expected to make a statement on the ongoing peace negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The majority of the population of Nagorno Karabakh are historically ethnically Armenian and they consider themselves an independent state called the Republic of Artsakh, which is not recognized internationally.

In September 2020, Azerbaijan launched a two-month war in the region, which resulted in Azerbaijan’s annexation of a third of the region as well as the mass forced displacement of most of the Armenian population.

In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched another major military offensive in the region, calling for the complete surrender of the Nagorno Karabakh government, thereby violating a 2020 ceasefire deal.

On August 17, Toivo Klaar, the European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus, reaffirmed his support for the Armenian government’s proposal to launch a bilateral structure to research ceasefire violations on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.