Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Medvedev arrived in Pyongyang on October 9 to participate in the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Labour Party.
On the same day, far away in Dushanbe in Central Asia, President Putin held talks with Azerbaijan President Aliyev and did something quite unexpected to the outside world. He formally apologized to the other party for the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane in December last year.
The tragedy, which killed 38 people, finally awaited Putin’s response after a decade of silence.
Russia’s two-hand arrangement demonstrates both Moscow’s allies in Northeast Asia and repairs diplomatic gaps in Central Asia damaged by air crashes.
Medvedev's identity during his visit to the DPRK is not simple. During his stay in the DPRK, he said that Russia is grateful to the DPRK for its firm support for special military operations.
The former president and former prime minister now holds the dual positions of chairman of the United Russia Party and vice chairman of the Federal Security Council, and his position in Russian politics is second only to Putin.
The political signals he sent on behalf of the Russian side to participate in the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Labour Party are clear, but the Russian-Russian relations are becoming more and more tight in the current international situation.
Putin himself did not go to Pyongyang because he had more important things to deal with.
From October 8 to 10, Putin paid a three-day visit to Tajikistan.
This visit contains three important agendas: a state visit to Tajikistan, the second Central Asia-Russia Summit, and the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of CIS.
During Dushanbe, Putin will need to hold bilateral talks with leaders of many countries, including the OAU meeting that has raised widespread attention.
During the talks, Putin offered to start with the discussion of last year's Azerbaijan Airlines crash, apologized for this tragedy and expressed his sincere condolences to the families of the victims.
This is the first time Putin has publicly taken responsibility for the incident, he explained that the day three Ukrainian drones entered Russian airspace, the Russian air defense system fired two missiles, although it did not hit the passenger plane directly, but the missile exploded several meters away from the aircraft, and the bullets hit the aircraft.
At the time, the Russian ground department advised the crew to make an emergency landing at Mahakhkala airport, but the crew decided to return to the airport.
Eventually, the passenger plane flying from Baku to Chechnya’s capital Grozny crashed in Kazakhstan.
The crash occurred on December 25, when it was Christmas.
After the crash of the passenger plane, the Azerbaijani side quickly discovered where the problem was, and in January this year, Azerbaijani President Aliyev publicly expressed his criticism of Russia's "rejection to acknowledge the mistake", demanding that Moscow formally apologize and take responsibility.
This statement has added new cracks to the two OAU countries, which have already had a delicate relationship due to the Naka conflict.
Azerbaijan's victory on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue gave this small Caucasus country more confidence in facing Russia, and the air crash became an important bargaining chip for Aliyev to put pressure on Moscow.
For ten months, Putin has finally chosen to apologize in Dushanbe, which is the first time that Putin has taken responsibility for the incident in order to ease tensions between the two countries.
Putin promised to conduct a legal assessment of the actions of all responsible persons and said the Russian side was willing to provide compensation.
Aliyev, apparently not expecting Putin to admit his mistake so directly, quickly accepted the gesture, thanking Putin for his sincerity and expressing his willingness to resume bilateral cooperation.
During Putin's recent days in Tajikistan, in addition to repairing relations with Azerbaijan, he also had more ambitious strategic considerations.
Central Asia is crucial to Russia, which is both a traditional sphere of influence and a core region within the framework of the CIS.
But after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Moscow’s influence in Central Asia indeed declined.
On the one hand, continued military operations have consumed a large amount of Russia's resources and reduced economic assistance and investment to Central Asian countries; on the other hand, the autonomy of Central Asian countries has been significantly enhanced. They are no longer satisfied with relying solely on Russia, but actively promote diversified diplomacy.
But this visit shows that Russia still has influence from other great powers in Central Asia that is difficult to replace.
Putin held an official meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon, and the two sides discussed all aspects of the development of bilateral relations.
At the CIS summit, Putin exchanged views with leaders of many countries on regional security, economic and trade cooperation and other issues. This face-to-face communication is crucial to maintaining Russia's presence in Central Asia.
It is worth noting that Putin’s visit to Central Asia also sent another signal that Russia is adjusting its foreign strategy from mere hardness to a more flexible diplomatic wrist.
Apologizing to Azerbaijan is the best example.
It is not easy for any major country leader to proactively admit mistakes in a major incident involving the image of the country.
But Putin did because he knew clearly that in the current international environment, Russia could not afford to lose more friends.
At the same time, Medvedev's activities in Pyongyang are equally important.
The Russian-Russian relations have come closer and closer over the years, and the cooperation between the two sides in political, economic, military and other fields continues to deepen.
North Korea needs Russia's energy and technical support, while Russia needs North Korea's support on the international stage. Medvedev's visit reaffirmed the special relationship between the two countries.
On this day, the two-way efforts of the Russian government, one to consolidate allies in Pyongyang, and one to repair diplomatic cracks in Dushanbe, could be said to have each gained.
For Moscow, such an arrangement reflects diplomatic savvy. It can neither neglect old friends nor make up for bad feelings with neighboring countries in a timely manner.
With the Russian-Ukrainian conflict entering its third year, with Western sanctions continuing to rise, Russia is more than ever in need of a stable surrounding environment and reliable partners.
From a larger perspective, Putin's voluntary apology has another consideration. Azerbaijan is not only an important country in the South Caucasus, but also an energy corridor connecting Europe and Asia.
The country has rich oil and gas resources and its geopolitical position is crucial.
Losing cooperation with Azerbaijan would be a serious blow to Russia’s influence in the Caucasus.
Moreover, Azerbaijan has close ties with Turkey, and if relations continue to deteriorate, it is likely to push Azerbaijan further into the western camp.
Now, it seems that Putin's move is timely.
The apology brought Aliyev's positive response, and the relationship between the two sides began to warm up, which is undoubtedly good news for Russia's strategic layout in the South Caucasus.
In Central Asia, through the summit and the bilateral talks, Russia has also demonstrated to countries that it remains a reliable partner.
conclusion
Russia’s two-hand arrangement on the same day demonstrates Moscow’s diplomatic flexibility in a complex international situation.
Medvedev’s visit to the DPRK consolidated the alliance in Northeast Asia, while Putin in Central Asia resolved the diplomatic crisis with Azerbaijan through an active apology, while deepening cooperation with Central Asian countries.
This approach of adhering to principles and knowing how to compromise makes Russia more calm when facing Western pressure.
The future international landscape is still full of variables, but at least in peripheral diplomacy, Moscow has stabilized its position.
The source:
China News Network 2025-10-10 Putin apologizes