Azerbaijan Bans Russian Lawmaker Over Controversial Comments

BAKU, Azerbaijan — Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry announced Monday that Russian State Duma lawmaker Nikolai Valuev has been banned from entering the country. The move follows Valuev’s recent remarks suggesting that Azerbaijan utilizes diaspora groups for criminal activities.

The ministry condemned Valuev’s comments, stating, “The offensive statements against Azerbaijan and our people made by Nikolai Valuev… and his threatening remarks against our country are absolutely unacceptable.” Due to these remarks, Valuev’s name has been added to a list of banned individuals from entering Azerbaijan.

Valuev, a former world heavyweight boxing champion, is at least the third Russian lawmaker to be declared persona non grata by Azerbaijan. The announcement comes after Baku ordered the closure of the local branch of Rossotrudnichestvo, a Russian state-funded cultural diplomacy agency, citing its “lack of legal registration.”

In response to the closure, Valuev suggested that Russia could take action against ethnic Azerbaijanis in the country, implying potential scrutiny of their financial transactions. “Their main tools of influence in Russia are diasporas,” Valuev posted on Telegram. “This entire crowd should be put through the legal filter. Illegal migration, tax evasion, corporate raids and other ‘interesting’ activities will come to light soon enough.”

Adding to tensions, Azerbaijani media reported last month that Rossotrudnichestvo’s “Russian House” cultural center in Baku was allegedly harboring Russian intelligence agents. This prompted Russia’s Foreign Ministry to summon Azerbaijan’s ambassador in Moscow, vehemently denying the allegations. Yevgeny Primakov, head of Rossotrudnichestvo, stated that the agency plans to file a defamation lawsuit against BakuTV, which aired these claims.

Recently, Azerbaijan also moved to close the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), citing a “lack of legal basis” for its operations. Relations between Moscow and Baku have deteriorated further following the December 25 crash of Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243. Investigators revealed last week that the plane, which was scheduled to fly from Baku to Grozny in southern Russia, likely sustained damage from “external objects” before crashing in Western Kazakhstan.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has consistently attributed responsibility for the crash to Russian air defense systems, which he claims accidentally fired upon the aircraft. Conversely, Moscow has denied any accountability for the incident.