Putin meets Azerbaijani president to strengthen ties as tensions persist

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attend a state reception at the Gulustan Palace in Baku, Azerbaijan (Mikhail Tereshchenko/AP)

Russian leader Vladimir Putin held talks on Monday with his Azerbaijani counterpart as part of a two-day trip to secure Moscow’s under-pressure trade routes and shore up ties in the South Caucasus.

Business links were high on the agenda as Putin and President Ilham Aliyev met in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku, with Aliyev announcing that 120 million dollars had been earmarked to boost cargo transport between the two countries.