Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met in Astana, Kazakhstan, during the 24th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Heads of State Summit. The leaders focused on enhancing economic cooperation and future plans.

Putin noted, “There is a trade volume of over $4 billion and direct Russian investment of approximately $4.5 billion in the Azerbaijani economy.” Aliyev highlighted the strong cultural ties, mentioning, “Approximately 1 million students are educated in Russian in Azerbaijan.” The leaders discussed economic cooperation and future infrastructure projects