Azerbaijan has decided to close the 'Russian House' in Baku and halt the activities of Rossotrudnichestvo on its territory, as reported by Report.
The authorities of Azerbaijan have sent an official notification to Moscow about this step, the publication claims, citing its own sources. The decision, as reported by the publication, is explained by the fact that Azerbaijan does not need foreign assistance, especially when it comes through opaque schemes and organizations with clear intelligence signs.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time Azerbaijan has taken measures against foreign organizations. Earlier, the country banned the American agency USAID.
The decision to close the 'Russian House' is linked to a report aired in January on the Baku.tv channel, the publication reports. It claimed that the cultural center, curated by Rossotrudnichestvo, was engaged in espionage activities.
Earlier, the Baku.tv channel, which is controlled by the Azerbaijani authorities, published a report about the work of the 'Russian House' in Azerbaijan, effectively accusing its staff of unfriendly and even espionage activities. The head of Rossotrudnichestvo, Evgeny Primakov, then defended the 'Russian House,' stating that it is engaged 'exclusively in activities in the fields of education, culture, and science.'
The report aired several weeks after the catastrophe of an Azerbaijani Airlines plane near Aktau. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that Russia was involved in the disaster, specifically noting that when the plane was attempting to land in Grozny, Russia’s air defense systems were active there. Aliyev criticized the Russian authorities for not taking responsibility for the incident.
The Federal Agency Rossotrudnichestvo is a government agency subordinate to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Its responsibilities include interaction with compatriots abroad, 'enhancing Russia's humanitarian influence in the world,' and promoting 'the dissemination of an objective understanding of modern Russia abroad.' The agency has been on the EU sanctions list since July 2022, but 'Russian Houses' — previously known as Russian Centers for Science and Culture — continue to operate in some European countries.
