ASTRAKHAN, September 29 (RIA Novosti) - The relations between Russia and Azerbaijan are developing actively, despite the problems in the global economy, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilkham Aliyev on Monday.
"The relations between Russia and Azerbaijan have always unfolded as friendly and trusting and they are unfolding in a similar vein on different lines, including in the most sensitive spheres; moving forward is the case with the economy as well, despite some problems in the global and Russian economy," Putin said.
The bilateral meeting between Putin and Aliyev is a part of the Caspian summit, held in Astrakhan, southern Russia, on Monday.
The summit, attended by the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iran and Turkmenistan, is focused on cooperation between the countries and progress in implementation of the decisions taken at the previous summit in Baku in 2010.
The heads of five Caspian states agreed on Monday to keep a stable balance of forces in the region and ensure the development of their defense capability within the limits of "reasonable efficiency."
Earlier on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the five countries had also agreed on a joint statement to outline future agreements on cooperation in the region.
