Russia-Azerbaijan: Bordering Neighbors Or Distant Strangers?

Azerbaijan and Russia share a 338km-long border that runs from the tripoint with Georgia in the west to the Caspian Sea in the east. The two countries have had a complex relationship over the past two centuries, with Azerbaijan spending much of that time as part of the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union. Since Azerbaijan gained independence in 1991, relations with Russia have been marked by periods of tension and cooperation. While Russia is a key supplier of arms to Azerbaijan, the two countries have also competed for influence in the region, particularly in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The Azerbaijan–Russia border is 338km long

Azerbaijan and Russia share a 338km-long border. This international frontier runs from the tripoint with Georgia in the west to the Caspian Sea in the east. The border traverses various mountain ridges of the Caucasus Mountains, before turning northeast and proceeding along the Samur river valley to the Samur Delta on the Caspian Sea coast. Mount Bazardüzü, the highest peak in Dagestan and Azerbaijan, lies on the frontier.

The Azerbaijan–Russia border has a long history. During the 19th century, the Caucasus region was contested between the declining Ottoman Empire, Persia, and an expanding Russia. By the Russo-Persian War (1804–1813) and the subsequent Treaty of Gulistan, Russia acquired most of what is now Azerbaijan and parts of Armenia. Russia organised the areas that now form Azerbaijan into the governorates of Baku, Elizavetpol, and the Zakatal Okrug within the Tiflis Governorate. The northern border of these subdivisions effectively set the Azerbaijan–Russia border at its current location.

In 1917, during World War I, Russian Communists staged a successful revolution. Meanwhile, the peoples of the southern Caucasus declared the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic in 1918, but internal disagreements led to Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan leaving the federation. The northern border of Azerbaijan was based on the former provincial borders of the Baku, Elizabethpol, and Tiflis governorates. In 1920, Russia's Red Army invaded Azerbaijan and Armenia, ending their independence and incorporating them into the Transcaucasian SFSR within the USSR.

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the boundary became an international frontier, and border demarcation discussions began. These discussions were completed in September 2010 and the agreement entered into force the following year. Today, there are four border crossings along the Azerbaijan–Russia border, and a train service connecting Derbent in Russia and Baku in Azerbaijan.

There are four border crossings

The Azerbaijan–Russia border is 338 km (210 mi) long, stretching from the tripoint with Georgia in the west to the Caspian Sea in the east. There are four border crossings between Azerbaijan and Russia:

Samur (AZE) - Yarag-Kazmalyar (RUS)

Known as the "Golden Bridge" due to the bribes that used to be paid here, this crossing is now open to all foreigners. On the Azerbaijani side, there is a huge queue of trucks, but pedestrians and cars can pass through without much trouble.

Şirvanovka (AZE) - Novo-Filya (RUS)

This multilateral border has been open to all nationalities since 2018. It is a much preferred alternative to the central border at Samur, where taxi prices are higher and lines can be very long.

Yalama (AZE) - Tagirkent-Kazmalyar (RUS)

This multilateral border crossing is described as such on the Russian customs website.

Zuxul (AZE) – Garakh (RUS)

This bilateral border crossing is only open to locals and is closed to third-country nationals.

Azerbaijan has kept its land and sea borders closed since the pandemic

Azerbaijan's land border with Russia has a length of 338km (210mi) and runs from the tripoint with Georgia in the west to the Caspian Sea in the east. The border starts in the west at the Georgian tripoint and proceeds in a south-eastwards direction over various mountain ridges of the Caucasus Mountains, before turning to the north-east roughly halfway and then proceeding along the Samur river valley to the Samur Delta on the Caspian Sea coast.

There are four border crossings: Samur (AZE) - Yarag-Kazmalyar (RUS), Şirvanovka (AZE) - Novo-Filya (RUS), Yalama (AZE) - Tagirkent-Kazmalyar (RUS), and Zuxul (AZE) – Garakh (RUS). The latter is not open to third-country nationals. There is also a train service connecting Derbent in Russia and Baku in Azerbaijan.

The border between Azerbaijan and Russia was formed when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, and the various constituent republics, including the Azerbaijan SSR and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, became independent states. Border demarcation discussions were completed in September 2010 and the agreement entered into force the following year.

The relationship between Russia and Azerbaijan has evolved over two centuries, during which Azerbaijan spent most of the time as part of the Russian Empire and then the Soviet Union. The two countries established diplomatic relations in April 1992 and signed a free-trade agreement in September of the same year. In the 1990s, Russia closed the land border with Azerbaijan, officially because it claimed that Azerbaijan was a source of military aid to the Chechen separatists. However, the background to this was that Azerbaijan had been signing contracts with Western energy companies to develop oilfields in the Caspian Sea, against strong opposition from Russia.

Despite the close relationship between Russia and Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan prefers to stick to bilateral agreements and preserve its full sovereignty rather than integrate with Russia. For example, Azerbaijan has declared that it has no plans to join the Eurasian Union and declined to sign the Association Agreement with the EU in the framework of the Eastern Partnership.

Russia supported Armenia in the dispute over the Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh

Azerbaijan borders Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Iran. The country shares a 338km-long border with Russia, which runs from the tripoint with Georgia in the west to the Caspian Sea in the east.

Now, onto the topic of Russia's support for Armenia in the dispute over the Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh is an ethnic and territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The region is inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians and is officially part of Azerbaijan. The conflict escalated into a full-scale war in the early 1990s, resulting in a victory for Armenia and the occupation of regions around Nagorno-Karabakh. A ceasefire was signed in 1994, but tensions remained high, with both sides accusing each other of violations.

Russia supported Armenia in the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh, which damaged its relations with Azerbaijan. Here are some key points regarding Russia's support for Armenia:

• Russia began supporting Armenia in the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh in the mid-1990s. This support was in response to Azerbaijan signing contracts with Western energy companies to develop oil fields in the Caspian Sea, which went against Russia's interests.
• The Russian intervention in the dispute resulted in Azerbaijan losing control of Nagorno-Karabakh. The status of the region remains unresolved today.
• Russia's support for Armenia included diplomatic, military, and political aspects. Russia provided diplomatic backing to Armenia and supplied arms and indirect logistical support during the first Nagorno-Karabakh War.
• The Russian intervention had significant consequences for the region. The war resulted in thousands of casualties and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.
• Russia's role in the dispute has been complex and nuanced. While it has supported Armenia, Russia has also sought to maintain good relations with Azerbaijan and has sold weapons to both countries.
• The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh has had a lasting impact on the region, with periodic escalations of violence and failed attempts at a permanent resolution.

Russia is one of Azerbaijan's main suppliers of arms

Azerbaijan and Russia share a 338km (210 mi) border, which runs from the tripoint with Georgia in the west to the Caspian Sea in the east. The two countries were once part of the Soviet Union until it broke up in 1991, and they established diplomatic relations in April 1992.

Russia's military-technical cooperation with Azerbaijan takes into account the context of the countries' relations and has practical significance. Russia supplies Azerbaijan with a range of weapons, including armoured vehicles, air defence systems, transport and combat helicopters, artillery, multiple rocket launchers, and tanks. Many of these weapons were used in the 2020 conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Azerbaijan's arms imports from Russia have increased significantly in recent years. Between 2010 and 2014, its imports of weaponry increased by 249% compared to the previous five-year period. This increase in arms imports coincides with Azerbaijan's growing military expenditure, which accounted for 5.4% of its GDP in 2020, significantly higher than the world military spending average of 2.4%.

While Azerbaijan has diversified its arms imports in recent years, acquiring weapons from countries like Israel, Turkey, and Belarus, Russia remains the largest supplier by a significant margin. This illustrates the strong military ties between Russia and post-Soviet states like Azerbaijan, even when they are not particularly closely allied politically.

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