Azerbaijan demands punishment for death of brothers in Russian police custody
BAKU - Azerbaijan demanded on Wednesday that Russia punish those responsible for the deaths of two Azerbaijani men in police custody, refusing to back down in a growing diplomatic dispute.
The South Caucasus country summoned the Russian ambassador in Baku to protest over the "illegal actions" of Russian police and accuse Moscow of undermining bilateral relations.
"It was reiterated that Azerbaijan expects a comprehensive and objective investigation from Russia into the violations committed by Russian law enforcement authorities and the punishment of those responsible," the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said.
Russia said certain forces, which it did not specify, were trying to wreck the relationship between the two neighbours, and urged Baku to repair it.
The diplomatic furore highlights a growing assertiveness toward Moscow on the part of Azerbaijan, an oil-producing former Soviet republic that has cultivated close ties with Turkey and has been boosted by military victories over longtime rival Armenia since 2020.
The dispute began when two ethnic Azerbaijani brothers died after being arrested last week during police raids as part of a murder investigation in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.
Russian authorities have said one of the men died of heart failure, but have not said how the other died. Azerbaijan says the pair were tortured and beaten to death.
"It was emphasised that the explanation provided by the Russian side contradicts the clear signs of severe violence on the victims' bodies and the forensic reports," its foreign ministry said.
Further fuelling the tensions, Azerbaijan this week arrested two Russian state journalists on fraud charges and about 15 other Russians on suspicion of drug trafficking and cybercrime.
AZERBAIJANI PUSHBACK
Zaur Shiriyev, non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said Azerbaijan was pushing back against Russia's "former hegemonic influence in the region", which had faded after Russia became distracted by its war in Ukraine.
"At this point, Russia's loss of dominance in the South Caucasus seems hard to reverse. It still has power, but no longer sets the tone," he said in emailed comments.
"Azerbaijan's more assertive actions are a response to this shift. And they don't fit with the kind of one-sided, top-down relationship Moscow is used to, like the one it has with Belarus," Shiriyev said.
Azerbaijan's relations with Russia have been under strain since late last year, when 38 people were killed in the crash of an Azerbaijani airliner that Baku says was accidentally shot down by Russian air defences.
Nemat Avazov, the head of Baku's investigation into the accident, told reporters on Wednesday that his team would release its findings in the coming days.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow had been cultivating ties with Baku for many years based on mutual respect, but unknown actors were now trying to use the situation to "warm up their hands" - a Russian phrase meaning to enrich oneself.
"Just don't let them get burned," she told Sputnik Radio in an interview. "Because for us, for the two peoples, friendship relations are extremely important. And those who want to spoil them should think carefully about what they are doing." REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
21 minutes ago
- Straits Times
North Korean detained after crossing land border: Seoul military
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox North Koreans are typically handed over to Seoul's intelligence agency for screening when they arrive in the South. SEOUL - A North Korean who crossed the heavily fortified land border into the South has been detained and taken into custody, Seoul's military said on July 4. The North Korean managed to cross the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the midwestern part of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) on July 3, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The MDL is the de-facto border , which runs through the middle of the DMZ - the border area separating the two Koreas, which is one of the most heavily mined places on earth. 'The military identified the individual near the MDL, conducted tracking and surveillance,' the JCS said in a statement. It then 'successfully carried out a standard guiding operation to secure custody,' it added. Seoul's military said 'relevant authorities' will investigate the detailed circumstances of the incident. North Koreans are typically handed over to Seoul's intelligence agency for screening when they arrive in the South. The incident comes after a wooden boat carrying four North Koreans drifted into waters south of the de-facto maritime border in May. Another North Korean defected to the South across the de-facto border in the Yellow Sea in 2024, arriving on Gyodong island off the peninsula's west coast near the border between the Koreas. Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to South Korea since the peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s, with most going overland to neighbouring China first, then entering a third country such as Thailand before finally making it to the South. Defections across the land border that divides the peninsula are rare. The number of successful escapes dropped significantly from 2020 after the North sealed its borders - purportedly with shoot-on-sight orders along the land frontier with China - to prevent the spread of Covid-19. South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung, who took office in June, has vowed a more dovish approach towards Pyongyang compared with his hawkish predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol. 'Politics and diplomacy must be handled without emotion and approached with reason and logic,' Mr Lee said on July 3. 'Completely cutting off dialogue is really a foolish thing to do.' AFP
Straits Times
23 minutes ago
- Straits Times
India backs Dalai Lama's position on successor, contradicting China
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama addresses via a video message at the inaugural session at the 15th Tibetan Religious Conference at the Dalai Lama Library and Archive near Tsuglagkhang, also known as Dalai Lama's Temple complex, in the northern hill town of Dharamshala, India, July 2, 2025. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/File photo DHARAMSHALA, India - A senior Indian minister has said that only the Dalai Lama and the organization he has set up have the authority to identify his successor as the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism, in a rare comment contradicting rival China's long-held position. The Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, said on Wednesday that upon his death he would be reincarnated as the next spiritual leader and that only the Gaden Phodrang Trust would be able to identify his successor. He previously said the person will be born outside China. Beijing says it has the right to approve the Dalai Lama's successor as a legacy from imperial times. Kiren Rijiju, India's minister of parliamentary and minority affairs, made a rare statement on the matter on Thursday, ahead of visiting the Dalai Lama's base in the northern Indian town of Dharamshala for the religious leader's 90th birthday on Sunday. "No one has the right to interfere or decide who the successor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be," Indian media quoted Rijiju as telling reporters. "Only he or his institution has the authority to make that decision. His followers believe that deeply. It's important for disciples across the world that he decides his succession." India's foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the Dalai Lama's succession plan. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Seller's stamp duty rates for private homes raised; holding period increased from 3 years to 4 Asia Japan urges evacuation of small island as 1,000 quakes hit region World Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending Bill wins congressional approval World Trump eyes simple tariff rates over complex talks, says letters will start going out on July 4 Sport A true fans' player – Liverpool supporters in Singapore pay tribute to late Diogo Jota Business More Singapore residents met CPF Required Retirement Sum when they turned 55 in 2024 Singapore Universities like NUS need to be open, to become a sanctuary for global talent: Vivian Balakrishnan Singapore 193ha of land off Changi to be reclaimed for aviation park; area reduced to save seagrass meadow Rijiju, a practising Buddhist, will be joined by other Indian officials at the birthday celebrations. India is estimated to be home to tens of thousands of Tibetan Buddhists who are free to study and work there. Many Indians revere the Dalai Lama, and international relations experts say his presence in India gives New Delhi a measure of leverage with China. Relations between India and China nosedived after a deadly border clash in 2020 but are slowly improving now. REUTERS
AsiaOne
31 minutes ago
- AsiaOne
Eyeing Arctic dominance, Trump bill earmarks $11 billion for US Coast Guard icebreakers, World News
LOS ANGELES — President Donald Trump's massive tax and spending bill earmarks more than US$8.6 billion (S$11 billion) to increase the US Coast Guard icebreaker fleet in the Arctic, where Washington hopes to counter rising Russian and Chinese dominance. The funding includes $4.3 billion for up to three new heavy Coast Guard Polar Security Cutters, $3.5 billion for medium Arctic Security Cutters, and $816 million for procurement of additional light and medium icebreaking cutters. The cutters will have reinforced hulls and specially angled bows designed for open-water icebreaking. The Coast Guard had been seeking eight to nine Arctic-ready icebreakers. Its current fleet now just includes three. Trump has been pushing to revive US shipbuilding to counter China's growing strength in maritime manufacturing and naval dominance. Earlier this year, he unveiled separate plans to levy fees and tariffs on Chinese ships and port equipment including ship-to-shore cranes to bolster that effort. As climate change shrinks polar ice packs, Arctic seas are increasingly being considered as trade routes connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans to major economies. China and Russia have been working together to develop Arctic shipping routes and fortify their defences. The United States, Canada and Finland last year announced a trilateral partnership called the "ICE Pact" to build a fleet of 70 to 90 ice-breaking ships over the coming decade to "project power" into the polar region and enforce international norms and treaties. Trump has also repeatedly called for the United States to acquire as many as 40 new icebreakers to enhance national security in the Arctic. Those icebreakers could help companies with logistics and keep open supply lines for potential oil and gas and mineral development in the rugged and frigid region. Russia has the world's largest fleet of icebreakers and ice-capable patrol ships with 57, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies. China has a far smaller fleet, but is also investing in growing it. The two countries in May pledged to raise co-operation to a new level and "decisively" counter US influence. Who builds them? Louisiana-based shipbuilders Bollinger Shipyards and Edison Chouest Offshore in May announced a strategic partnership called United Shipbuilding Alliance (USA) to manufacture icebreakers to meet "urgent Arctic operational needs". USA will bid to build icebreakers for the Arctic Security Cutter programme, a Bollinger spokesperson said. The Coast Guard recently gave Bollinger the green light to begin full construction of the first ship in the Polar Security Cutter Program at its Pascagoula, Mississippi, facility. That project, which ran into trouble with a shipbuilder Bollinger purchased, had been "plagued by delays and cost overruns," the Congressional Budget Office said in an August report. At that time, CBO estimated that building all three new Polar Security Cutters on the Coast Guard wishlist would cost $5.1 billion in 2024 dollars, roughly 60 per cent more than the Coast Guard had estimated. Other potential icebreaker builders include Quebec-based Davie Shipbuilding, which in June announced plans to buy Gulf Copper & Manufacturing's shipbuilding assets in Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas. "We welcome the commitment to strengthen America's icebreaker fleet," a Davie spokesperson said. "This is a vital step in addressing growing threats and emerging opportunities in the Arctic." Singapore-based Keppel's Keppel Amfels also has a presence in Texas. Shipyards in Canada or Finland could also provide the ships, but that would require a presidential waiver for the US Coast Guard to buy ships from a foreign yard, US Naval Institute News said. The Coast Guard recently took possession of its first polar icebreaker in 25 years. Built by Edison Chouest Offshore's North American Shipbuilding in 2012, according to LSEG data, the modified Coast Guard Cutter Storis set sail in June and its home port will be Juneau, Alaska. The polar fleet also includes the 399-foot heavy icebreaker Polar Star, and the 420-foot medium icebreaker Healy, according to its website. [[nid:715033]]
