We may see economic measures, among other things, linked to Baku’s activities: Boris Rozhin

Boris Rozhin, an expert at the Center for Military-Political Journalism, commented to Alpha News on the deportation of the head of Moscow’s Azerbaijani diaspora and the state of Russian-Azerbaijani relations.

According to the expert, what happened is a continuation of the conflict between Moscow and Baku, which, despite statements about its resolution, has still not been resolved.

“All of this is a continuation of a conflict that has been dragging on for a while. Despite claims that it has supposedly been resolved, as we can see, the conflict continues to smolder. And, of course, such a reaction on the part of Baku is being made at the instigation of Azerbaijan’s leadership, given the control over media in that country. But this is not the first deportation. At one time, the criminal diaspora in Yekaterinburg was dismantled, with well-known detentions, arrests, and deportations. In fact, we are now observing a continuation of that story. Especially since a number of Russian citizens are still being held on the territory of Azerbaijan,” Rozhin noted.

Commenting on the deportation of the diaspora head, the expert stressed that, from a legal standpoint, such a status carries no particular weight before the law.

“Legally, there is no such thing as a ‘head of the diaspora.’ It’s an informal title of sorts. Before the law, he is simply a citizen who wields influence among local Azerbaijanis. If the state believes he committed crimes or engaged in anti-state activity, then the state has the right to take all necessary measures, either imprisonment or deportation of such a person from Russia,” Boris Rozhin said.

The expert also believes that a certain cooling of relations between the two countries can already be observed at the political level, and that further deterioration could bring additional measures.

“A certain cooling is being observed. And, possibly, in the event of further escalation, we may see economic measures, among other things, linked to Azerbaijan’s activities. This is a well-known toolkit involving the export of certain products to Russia’s territory, and so on,” Rozhin concluded.