Russia seeks Azerbaijani participation in monitoring parliamentary elections

Russia expects members of Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis (Parliament) to take part in monitoring the elections to the State Duma, Andrey Yatskin, First Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council, has stated.

Speaking at the 25th meeting of the Azerbaijan–Russia Inter-Parliamentary Commission in Baku, Yatskin drew attention to the fact that they have a major electoral year, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

He said colleagues in the State Duma are preparing for the election campaign.

“The election date has already been set by the president for September. We expect that, within the framework of monitoring, members of the Milli Majlis will take an active part,” he noted.

Yatskin stressed that the leaders of both countries—Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev—attach great importance to the work of the inter-parliamentary commission.

According to him, the heads of state set the direction of bilateral cooperation, while parliaments consistently develop relations in line with the agreements reached.

The Russian official emphasised that commission meetings are held regularly and serve as an important element of inter-parliamentary cooperation.

“Commission meetings are held twice a year—one in Azerbaijan and one in Russia. We are probably the only ones who maintain such a schedule. Usually, some commissions may not meet even once a year. In our case, regularity is confirmed in practice,” he added.

Yatskin also stressed that both sides closely monitor the implementation of decisions taken during the commission meetings.

“We regularly oversee the implementation of our decisions. They are not formal or protocol in nature. Responsible persons are already designated in the protocols, and today several speakers presented results of this work,” he explained.

Elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation’s ninth convocation are scheduled for September 20, 2026.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov