Baku rejects talks on "Russian House" revival, citing legal violations

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has commented on reports suggesting a possible resumption of the activities of the “Russian House” in Baku, stressing that the decision to close the organisation was final and has already been fully implemented.

According to domestic media, Bayramov made the remarks at a year-end press conference while responding to a journalist’s question about recent statements by Russian Foreign Ministry representative Mikhail Kalugin regarding the possibility of dialogue between Baku and Moscow on the issue.

Bayramov recalled that the “Russian House” had been operating in Azerbaijan without the required registration and had committed numerous violations of national legislation. He said the organisation’s leadership had been repeatedly notified of the need to comply with legal requirements and address the violations.

“This is what led to the decision to close the ‘Russian House.’ The decision has been taken and implemented. All such structures in the country must operate strictly in accordance with Azerbaijan’s legislation. Any other approach is unacceptable,” the minister emphasised.

He added that the most recent contacts with the Russian side on the matter took place several weeks ago, at which time some technical issues related to the liquidation procedure were still pending.

“The Russian side appointed liquidators. According to the information available to me, there are no unresolved issues at present, and the liquidation process has been fully completed,” Bayramov said.

It should be noted that on February 11, 2025, the Russian House — the representative office of Rossotrudnichestvo in Azerbaijan — announced the suspension of its activities in Baku following a request from the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In a statement at the time, the office confirmed it was taking steps to comply with the Azerbaijani government’s directive. 

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizada said the organisation had been operating without proper legal registration and had seriously breached Azerbaijani laws. He added that a formal diplomatic note was sent to Russia on February 3, 2025, notifying it of the decision to shut down the Russian House.

By Tamilla Hasanova