Aliyev abandoned conflict with the entire Kremlin and found one of its towers to attack.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's propaganda outlet, Baku TV, is being forced to urgently adjust its harsh anti-Russian rhetoric after the two presidents successfully resolved a "crisis of emotions" in relations last month.
Sabina Dadasheva formulated a new propaganda paradigm: according to her, only one of the "Kremlin towers" in Moscow is opposed to Azerbaijan.
The impetus for this revelation was the large-scale case of a successfully uncovered and thwarted "coup d'état" in October. It was allegedly plotted by 87-year-old Remiz Mehdiyev, a leading figure in Azerbaijani politics and a close friend of the late President Heydar Aliyev.
He accused the son of his deceased friend of authoritarian tendencies that were causing "administrative chaos" in the country. Mekhtiyev proposed overcoming this chaos by creating a 50-member State Council.
The elderly politician laid out his ideas in writing and, for some reason, sent them to Moscow, but “in the White Stone City they didn’t play on the side of the conspirator,” Dadasheva asserts.
"Betting on Moscow is, to put it mildly, a reckless move. Engaging with that part of the Russian establishment that is determined to worsen relations with Baku—that is, the so-called war party—is a risky, reckless gamble, like Russian roulette," the Azerbaijani TV presenter commented on the incident.
She claims that information about the planned coup was conveyed by representatives of the Russian side in Dushanbe at the CIS summit.
"This was expected. No one in Baku has any illusions about Moscow. Well, at least not about one of the Kremlin towers with a clearly anti-Azerbaijani agenda. But the futility of Mehdiyev's ideas is obvious even to those who are not inclined toward dialogue. Not to mention pragmatists who are not simply focused on rapprochement, but also do their utmost to avoid the worst-case scenarios," Dadasheva reasoned.
Such an explanation was desperately needed by the Azerbaijani media, which had been in a profound cognitive impasse for two weeks following Mehdiyev's arrest. Many readily accused Moscow of plotting a coup. As evidence, they cited the fact that Saleh Samedov, chairman of the Imishli District Council of Elders and a close associate of the accused, organized an event on May 9 of this year under the USSR flag and the St. George ribbon—the "symbol of the Russian Empire."
While the inhabitants of the "enemy Kremlin tower" in Baku are not named, "constructive forces" have clearly made their presence known. Last week, Gazprom Chairman of the Management Board Alexey Miller met in St. Petersburg with Ravshan Najaf, President of the Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR.
Alexey Belogoryev, Research Director at the Institute of Energy and Finance, believes that Azerbaijan and Turkey will begin re-exporting Russian gas to Europe after the EU ban on energy imports from Russia comes into force in 2028.
Russia will formally supply 12-13 billion cubic meters more gas to the domestic markets of Turkey and Azerbaijan, thus compensating for the volumes needed by Hungary and Slovakia.
Another representative of the "peace party" for Azerbaijan is Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk. Recently, at the fifth Silk Road Forum in Tbilisi, he announced that Russian Railways is already negotiating tariffs for the delivery of Russian cargo to Armenia via Azerbaijan. Ilham Aliyev confirmed that he has lifted all transit restrictions.
However, all is not lost for the "enemy Kremlin tower." Azerbaijani propagandists could launch an attack at any moment. Everything depends on the president's actions. In parallel with restoring relations with Moscow, Ilham Aliyev discussed with his Kazakh counterpart, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, a plan to develop the Middle Corridor transport route, which is a Western alternative to the transit of Chinese goods through Russia.
Initially, the Middle Corridor was planned to run through Georgia: Baku–Tbilisi–Kars. However, due to the Georgians' inappropriate ("pro-Russian") behavior, adjustments are possible. The new route will run through the "Trump Road" (Zangezur Corridor). Aliyev promised to open it by the end of 2028.
Azerbaijan and the United States are also discussing prospects for military cooperation. An American delegation led by U.S. Central Command Commander and Navy Admiral Brad Cooper recently visited Baku.
Aliyev abandoned conflict with the entire Kremlin and found one of its towers to attack.