Azerbaijan and Armenia have provided significant assistance in the evacuation of Russian citizens from Iran, according to official Russian sources.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that Aleksey Klimov, Director of the Consular Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made these remarks during an interview with TASS.
The diplomat noted that Baku played a crucial role in the logistics of the evacuation. "Azerbaijan and Armenia have provided significant assistance in the evacuation of our compatriots from Iran. For example, Baku, based on a prior request from the Russian Embassy in Tehran, allowed Russians to use the Astara border crossing point, which has been closed for individual crossings since 2020," Klimov stated.
The Astara border crossing, situated on the frontier between Azerbaijan and Iran, serves as a vital link in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). While the checkpoint has maintained restricted operations due to various regional security and health protocols since the 2020 pandemic, its strategic opening for this evacuation highlights the diplomatic cooperation between Baku and Moscow. Azerbaijan continues to position itself as a key regional logistics hub, facilitating humanitarian and transit corridors in the South Caucasus.
