Azerbaijan Deepens Serbia Partnership and Rejects Russian Claims on Nagorno‑Karabakh

Azerbaijan and Serbia held a new round of political consultations in Belgrade on July 28, 2026. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Fariz Rzayev met with Serbian State Secretary Damjan Jovic and other officials to expand cooperation in political, economic, energy and humanitarian areas, and to coordinate positions in international organisations.

On the same day, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizade sharply rebuked remarks by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova concerning the former Armenia‑Azerbaijan conflict. Hajizade stressed that the Nagorno‑Karabakh region is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, that Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity has been restored, and that Russian commentary on the issue is unfounded.