Kremlin talks about the painstaking work to release detained Russians in Baku

Moscow highly appreciates the results of the negotiations between the Presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan, Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev, said Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian leader. He confirmed that the leaders also discussed the issue of detained citizens. ‘It was a very important meeting to turn that page in our bilateral relations. There is meticulous work going on. The President raised all these sensitive issues, and they are being addressed at a working level. We continue our dialogue,’ Kremlin’s representative answered Vedomosti’s question. Yesterday, a court in Baku extended the detention of Russians accused of drug trafficking from Iran, online trade in banned substances, and cyber fraud, by three months. However, on October 25, the editor-in-chief of ‘Sputnik Azerbaijan,’ Yevgeny Belousov, was released and left Azerbaijan. On October 19, the head of the editorial office, Igor Kartavykh, was also released from custody. On October 9, Putin and Aliyev met in Dushanbe. At the beginning of the negotiations, the heads of state shook hands. On October 24, during a subsequent meeting, Putin and Aliyev held a phone conversation. According to the Kremlin, they confirmed mutual readiness to further develop trade and economic relations, as well as implement joint projects in energy and transportation logistics. On October 10, it was announced that the former director of the Moscow Academic Satire Theater, Mamedali Agayev, was released from custody. The case of the distinguished cultural worker involved charges of large-scale fraud with a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison.