MOSCOW, July 7. /TASS/. Moscow would like to remain partners and allies with Baku and believes that all disagreements should be settled in a constructive manner, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a press briefing.
"We still believe that logic dictates one thing: Russia and Azerbaijan are and should remain close partners and allies, as the two nations share a common history, along with a shared present and future. The issues that arise should undoubtedly be addressed in a constructive way, reflecting the spirit of our bilateral relations," the Kremlin spokesman stated.
On June 28, the Russian Investigative Committee in the Sverdlovsk Region reported that it had dismantled a criminal group involved in a series of murders committed in the city of Yekaterinburg in the early 2000s. Eight suspects were taken into custody. According to preliminary reports, one of them died from heart failure. The cause of death for another suspect is being determined. Their bodies were transferred from Yekaterinburg to the Azerbaijani capital, Baku; Azerbaijani authorities later stated that a forensic medical examination had revealed signs of violence and filed an official protest with Russia.
Events involving Russia were cancelled in the country; Russian journalists Igor Kartavykh and Yevgeny Belousov were detained, along with several other Russian nationals. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that Russian consular staff had been granted access to 13 detained citizens. Russia and Azerbaijan exchanged diplomatic protests, and their foreign ministries summoned each other’s envoys.