Is a goodwill gesture also a threat?
Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev appeared to bury the hatchet with his Kremlin counterpart Vladimir Putin during a meeting in Dushanbe earlier in October. Or did he? The arrest of a longtime Aliyev family lieutenant on treason charges raises fresh questions about Baku’s relationship with Russia. Azerbaijani-Russian ties took a nosedive following the accidental shootdown of a civilian jetliner last December. Aliyev’s anger with Russia, and his willingness to plunge Azerbaijani-Russian relations into a deep freeze, stemmed from Putin’s reluctance to take responsibility for the tragedy, which resulted in the deaths of 38 passengers and crew aboard the Azerbaijani jet. Putin during the October meeting with Aliyev finally acknowledged that a Russian anti-aircraft missile brought down the jet, but did not offer an explicit apology, telling Aliyev only that relatives of the victims would receive due compensation. Aliyev thanked Putin at the time, indicating that bilateral relations could start to thaw. Yet the treason charges leveled against Ramiz Mehdiyev raise questions about whether bilateral relations are back on an even keel. Mehdiyev is accused of engaging in “acts aimed at seizing state power” and of obtaining property via illegal means. A Baku court ordered him confined to house arrest for four months while prosecutors continue their investigation. He is currently 87 years old, and if he ends up being prosecuted, he cannot be given a life sentence under Azerbaijani law. Mehdiyev also faces the prospect of being stripped of all his state awards and titles.
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