Azerbaijan Restricts Stay of Russians in Country After Downing of Passenger Plane by Russia
The Azerbaijani government has introduced restrictions on the length of stay of Russian citizens in the country. The new rules will come into effect on 1 January 2025. This is stated in the relevant resolution published on the website of the Azerbaijani government.
‘The period of temporary stay of citizens of the Russian Federation arriving in the Republic of Azerbaijan without a visa and stateless persons permanently residing in the Russian Federation may not exceed 90 days within one calendar year,’ the resolution says.
It is noted that the decision will come into force on 1 January 2025.
The resolution has already been signed by Prime Minister Ali Asadov.
The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the decision was made in response to Moscow's imposition of a similar 90-day ban on Azerbaijani citizens in Russia.
The restrictions became known after the downing of an Azerbaijani passenger plane by Russian air defence.
On 25 December, an Azerbaijani Airlines plane en route from Baku to Grozny crashed in Kazakhstan. The crash killed 38 people.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that the plane was shot at from the ground.
According to some media reports, the passenger plane was shot down by a Russian air defence missile.