Putin, Zelenskyy congratulate Aliyev on reelection as Azerbaijan president

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Ilham Aliyev on his reelection as the President of Azerbaijan, the Kremlin press service reported.

“During the telephone conversation, RF [(Russian Federation)] President Vladimir Putin warmly congratulated the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, on the occasion of his convincing victory in the snap presidential elections, and wished him new successes in such a high public office,” the statement noted.

The leaders of the two countries agreed to “continue personal contacts,” as well as confirmed the “interest in the further development of the Russian-Azerbaijani strategic partnership and alliance relations,” the Kremlin’s statement added.

Also, Putin sent a congratulatory telegram to Aliyev. “The voting results fully confirm your high political standing, popular support for the accelerated development of Azerbaijan’s socioeconomic development and your trajectory of strengthening its positions in the world arena,” read the message of the Russian president.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the other hand, limited himself to a written congratulation on X, former Twitter.

“Congratulations to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on his reelection, and best wishes for continued success and productive work for the benefit of the people of Azerbaijan. I value mutual support for our states’ sovereignty and territorial integrity.

We appreciate Azerbaijan’s humanitarian and other assistance during this historic period in our country’s fight for freedom. I value our constructive and trustworthy relationship with President Aliyev, as well as the practical cooperation between our teams.

I am confident that Ukraine and Azerbaijan’s strategic relations will continue to strengthen,” Zelenskyy noted.