Overview

• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ilham Aliyev phoned Vladimir Putin on Oct. 7 to offer birthday wishes and they finalized plans then for a bilateral in Dushanbe.
• The leaders met on Oct. 9 in Tajikistan on the sidelines of a regional summit, holding a formal session followed by continued conversation.
• Rossiya-1 aired new footage showing Putin and Aliyev sitting closer during the open portion and talking before journalists left the room.
• Additional video showed the pair moving into a hall after the meeting, taking armchairs and continuing their discussion.
• State media coverage emphasized the leaders’ personable interaction, with no substantive agreements or policy outcomes reported.