On July 19, the head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, Sergey Naryshkin, signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of intelligence with his Azerbaijani counterpart in Baku.
Russia's TASS state news agency writes that Sergey Naryshkin shared this information with the journalists himself: "Today (on July 19) an agreement was signed between the foreign intelligence services of Russia and Azerbaijan on the development of cooperation in the sphere of intelligence. This is a basic document and gives an additional impetus to developing our relations and mutual activity."
According to Naryshkin, the plans of the foreign intelligence services include the protection of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two countries, the fight against international terrorism and radical extremism, and joint actions to protect the interests of the enterprises and citizens of Russia and Azerbaijan in third countries. The head of the Russian Security Service emphasized that there is a good history of cooperation between the intelligence services of Azerbaijan and Russia: "We treat our Azerbaijani partners and friends with great respect and highly appreciate the level of professionalism of the Azerbaijani foreign intelligence service. We achieve the results we are aiming for," he added.
It was reported that Sergey Naryshkin met with President Ilham Aliyev during his visit to Baku. Sergey Naryshkin also met with his Azerbaijani colleague Orkhan Sultanov. However, neither Ilham Aliyev nor the official websites of the Azerbaijan State Security Service reported on Naryshkin's visit or any documents signed in Baku.
Additionally, only the reporters of TASS, Sputnik, and Mir TV channels took part in the press conference held by Naryshkin at the Russian Embassy in Baku on July 19.
On July 18, Caucasus Watch reported that Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, discussed the situation in the South Caucasus with the head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergey Naryshkin. According to the Press Service of the Armenian government, at a meeting in Yerevan, Pashinyan and Naryshkin considered regional and international security issues, touching upon the processes taking place in Transcaucasia.
