Moscow aims to restart cultural cooperation with Baku

Russia sees it as necessary to restart cultural and humanitarian cooperation with Azerbaijan in the near future, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

“Overall, Moscow is focused on the consistent development of the entire range of bilateral relations with Azerbaijan. This serves the interests of the people of both countries. We consider it necessary in the near future to restart full-fledged cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere after a period of pause,” Zakharova stated, according to Russian media.

Following recent developments, cultural cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia has become closely tied to broader diplomatic tensions and regulatory disputes over foreign cultural institutions operating in Baku.

On February 11, 2025, the Russian House — the Rossotrudnichestvo representative office in Azerbaijan — announced that it was suspending 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. 

Speaking on the issue, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada stated that the organisation had been operating without proper legal registration and had significantly violated Azerbaijani legislation. He added that a formal diplomatic note was delivered to Russia on February 3, 2025, informing it of the decision to close the Russian House.

By Jeyhun Aghazada