Azerbaijan has bought oil and natural gas from Russia to meet internal demand while exporting its own energy riches to the West. Russia also has been the main market for Azerbaijan’s fruit and vegetable exports. It also is a key transport corridor for Russia’s trade with Iran and other partners in the Middle East.

The rift, provoked by the deaths of two ethnic Azerbaijanis in Russian custody, was the latest in a series of spats that revealed a deeper diplomatic rift between the former allies.

Baku reaffirms expectations for ‘thorough, objective’ investigation into raid in Russian city of Yekaterinburg that resulted in death of 2 Azerbaijanis, says Foreign Ministry - Anadolu Ajansı