Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev hold talks on August 19 at the Zagulba Residence, 40km from the capital Baku. (Azerbaijani Presidential Press Service)

According to Sputnik news agency, during the talks, the two leaders discussed a range of issues, focusing on strengthening trade cooperation and expanding bilateral relations.

President Putin stressed that the talks covered in detail many aspects of cooperation between the two countries, including the international agenda.

He said the joint statement after the talks set out large-scale tasks to further promote Russian-Azerbaijani relations.

For his part, expressing satisfaction with the current level of interaction between Baku and Moscow and affirming Azerbaijan's determination to strengthen relations with Russia in all areas, President Aliyev believes that his counterpart Putin's visit will bring many benefits to bilateral relations.

The two leaders also signed a joint statement at the residence and witnessed the signing of six other documents between state agencies of the two countries, including three intergovernmental agreements and three memorandums of understanding.

According to President Aliyev, these documents, especially the joint statement, “reaffirm the friendly and allied nature of our relations.”

Regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow is ready to support a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. According to Mr. Putin, Azerbaijan wants to completely resolve the situation in Karabakh.

Regarding this, on the same day, speaking to the Izvestia newspaper, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov affirmed: “Baku is actively seeking solutions to normalize relations with Yerevan. However, all unreasonable demands made by the Armenian side must be clearly and legally rejected.”

Azerbaijan is currently using direct bilateral negotiations with Armenia. However, it is also ready to consider other forms of negotiations, including with Russia.