Putin's envoy with message in Baku

According to official sources of the two countries, the meetings discussed bilateral interaction at the bilateral and international levels, particularly in the sphere of struggle against terrorism, extremism and information security.

Patrushev noted high rates of economic and humanitarian cooperation between the two countries. In particular, he emphasized importance of the implementation of joint infrastructure projects on the Russian-Azerbaijani border and further development of military-technical cooperation.

Russia highly appreciated actions of Azerbaijan, especially the fact that our country established a cordon to prevent penetration of Islamic terrorists to its territory in the course of the Chechen wars, after the formation of ISIS and during Russia"s involvement in the war in Syria..

As for the foreign political aspect of the Patrushev"s visit, it comes to the latest aggravation of the situation around Idlib where remains of ISIS concentrated in the form of uncoordinated Islamic militarized groupings. A question of their disarmament and movement towards Turkey is on the agenda since 2017 and has stage-by-stage been resolved. In summer this the situation increasingly aggravated after the Syrian army launched an offensive through expanding a control zone in the said region. On August 22, Turkey opened a new humanitarian corridor both for refugees and disarmed militants.

A topic of Idlib was in the center of President Erdogan"s visit to the air-show in Moscow on August 27. Note that an armistice regime has been established since August 31 in Idlib within the framework of humanitarian corridor concept.

What is important to note is that Moscow is concerned that disarmed militants, natives of the former USSR countries will head for their historical motherland with no good intentions. According to special services, as of earlier 2017 there were approx. 3,500 natives of CIS countries, including 900 militants from Azerbaijan in the ranks of Islamic military groupings.

That Russia is concerned about militants" exit from Idlib is evidenced by Patrushev"s visits (April 10-11 and September 29-30, 2017) and debates over issues in Baku when the military operation in Idlib started.

In the course of these visits Patrushev discussed a topic of information security and coordination of efforts directed to propagandizing existing regimes in both countries and opposing the western influence and neutralizing information activity of critically minded society.

A closer look at the activities of the Anti-terrorist Center (ATC) of CIS member-countries reveals that the last year saw two meetings of the Scientific-Consultative Council (SCC) under the ATC: 1) Struggle against terrorism, 2) Information security.

Enlarged plenary session of SCC under ATC CIS "On measures on non-admission of penetration into CIS member-countries of persons privy to terrorist activity, immigration flows stirred up by the armed conflict in the Near East" (September 25, 2018, P. Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan)

Questions submitted for discussion:

1. Methodology of the analysis of migration flows stirred up by the conflict in the Near East aimed at revealing threats of terror nature.
2. Checking work, methods of profiling and biometrical data identification of persons privy to terror activity.
3. Characteristics of filtration work among persons that arrived in a country of sedentary from territories with largest МТО activity.
4. Identification of persons privy to МТО activity by transit via separate CIS member-countries.
5. Organization of joint work of competent bodies of the Community to get timely preventive information about persons seeking to arrive through migration flows to CIC member-countries.

2) Enlarged plenary meeting of the SCC under ATC CIS: "Organization of counter-propaganda work to fight terrorism and extremism" (February 20, 2019, Moscow)

Questions submitted for discussion:

1. Theoretical and practical approaches to information counteraction as a method of security threat parrying.
2. Topical tendencies of information counteraction (to information wars) in modern world.
3. Historical experience of organization of propaganda and counter-propaganda work in Russia and abroad.
4. Experience of CIS member-countries in organization of counter-propaganda work in the struggle against terrorism and extremism.
5. Organization of interaction between the state, civil society institutions and individual activists in counter-propaganda work to fight terrorism and extremism.

Under counter-propaganda work to fight terrorism and extremism is meant an information struggle against pro-western community in post-Soviet countries.

Succession

Another issue that worries Moscow, as well other capitals with their interests in Azerbaijan is a matter of succession of power in Baku.

It is worth reminding that amendments were made to the Constitution of the Azerbaijani Republic in 2016 providing for the introduction of vice-presidency institution. After Mehriban Aliyeva, a wife of the President, became his successor as the First Vice-President on February 21, 2017, the issues of the future destiny of the regime have been debated both at local and foreign levels. Adding fuel to the fire are rumors about President"s disease, especially as he has been absent from the public and spent much time abroad.

It should also be recognized that there is further build-up of power and administrative resource of the First Vice-President who has actually been running the apparatus in the absence of the first person to receive assurances in loyalty from various branches of power.

True, the situation is not ideal, for not all echelons of power welcome alternative in the person of Mehriban. Even despite 28 years old independence of Azerbaijan, the country is still under all-round Putin"s influence as is the case in other post-Soviet elites.

In this respect, M. Aliyeva"s reward with Russian Order of Friendship as a token of strengthening of bilateral relations at this stage of history is a testimony to Kremlin"s support of her activity, today and future" status.

As an intelligence agent, Patrushev succeeded in bringing this position to local nomenclature" notice in his congenial manner.