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54 I Eurasia bne March 2025
Baku is taking an increasingly assertive stance on Russian matters.
expressed Moscow’s "surprise" over what he described as "anti-Russian sentiment in Azerbaijani media".
The diplomatic row follows the publication of Kazakhstan’s preliminary report on the December 25 crash of
an Azerbaijani passenger jet in Aktau, which suggests that the aircraft sustained external damage while
flying over Russian airspace. While Azerbaijan has hinted at possible military involvement, Russia has yet to acknowledge responsibility.
Moscow has attempted to downplay allegations of foul play, but Azerbaijani officials are pressing for full accountability, including compensation for victims. Despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s initial condolence call to President Ilham Aliyev, Baku remains unsatisfied with Russia’s refusal to accept blame.
With tensions mounting, Moscow
may seek leverage in ongoing regional disputes, including the unresolved normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Whether Azerbaijan follows through on closing Russian institutions and intensifies its lobbying against Armenia remains to be seen, but the latest developments suggest a hardening of Baku’s approach toward Russia amid a deteriorating relationship.”
Russia include high-tech goods such as semiconductors, smartphones, and communications devices, none of which are produced domestically. This suggests that Armenia is serving as
an intermediary for sanctioned goods that could be used in Russia’s military operations.
The letter calls on the US and EU to: Increase scrutiny over Armenia’s trade activities, ensuring transparency
and preventing illegal transactions; Strengthen sanctions enforcement, potentially targeting Armenia with trade restrictions for allegedly facilitating Russia’s sanctions evasion; and, apply diplomatic pressure to push Armenia to halt any involvement in aiding Russia’s military efforts.
The closure and sanctions demand follows recent diplomatic escalations between Azerbaijan and Russia. On January 28, Russian Ambassador Mikhail Yevdokimov was summoned to Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry in protest against what Baku called "disinformation campaigns" in Russian media regarding the December 25 crash of an AZAL passenger plane. Azerbaijani officials expressed concerns that Russian state-controlled outlets were attempting to deflect responsibility for the incident.
A day earlier, on January 27, Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Russia, Rahman Mustafayev, was called to the Russian foreign ministry, where Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin
Georgia’s surging art imports fuel speculation over Ivanishvili’s offshore tax exemption
Cavid Aga in Ankara
Georgia’s foreign trade saw a significant rise in January 2025, with total turnover surging by 39.3% compared to the same period
in 2024. Exports climbed 19.3% to $403.9mn, while imports soared 45.5% to $1.604bn, according to preliminary data from the National Statistics Office.
However, the sharpest increase was
www.bne.eu
recorded in the import of paintings, with $480.7mn worth of artworks entering the country – an amount nearly matching the entire month’s trade expansion.
The surge in art imports has sparked controversy according to Jam News, with many politicians and analysts attributing it to Bidzina Ivanishvili,
Georgia’s unofficial ruler, who remains under US and UK sanctions.
The paintings, weighing over six tonnes, reportedly originated from countries that have sanctioned him. Critics argue that the offshore tax exemption law, passed by the Georgian parliament
in May 2024, facilitated the transfer, allowing Ivanishvili to avoid paying