Russian regulators have claimed to have discovered an agricultural pest in two batches of peaches and nectarines imported from Azerbaijan, as tensions between the two countries continue to rise.
Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, Rosselkhoznadzor, said on Thursday that they had discovered western flower thrips in 18 tonnes of fresh peaches and nectarines in a storage warehouse in Krasnodar.
The western flower thrips is an agricultural pest subject to restrictions within the Eurasian Economic Union.
Russia has frequently cited health and safety concerns to ban key imports from neighbouring countries during times of heightened tension. Last year, Russia banned imports of Armenian strawberries and brandy claiming they failed to meet regulatory standards. Georgian wines and Borjomi mineral water were banned in 2006 as tensions between the Kremlin and then–Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili rose. Russia lifted the ban in 2013, soon after Saakashvili lost power.
Russia is one of Azerbaijan’s main trading partners. In 2024 Azerbaijan’s exports to Russia amounted to close to $1.2 billion, mostly consisting of fruits, nuts, hazelnuts, and plastic.
The two countries have previously accused each other of exporting substandard products.
After the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in December 2020, Azerbaijan destroyed 7,320 kilogrammes of Russian products, allegedly due to the discovery of parasites.
In the same month, Russia also declined to allow the release of exports headed to Azerbaijan, claiming that they were tainted with pests.
During a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Baku in August 2024, during a period of warmer ties, Putin praised the development of economic and trade relations between the two countries, noting that they had surpassed $4 billion in annual trade. Putin added that there was potential for future cooperation in industry, transportations, logistics, and light industry.
Aytan Farhadova
‘More than four billion dollars of direct investment in the Azerbaijani economy is also a positive indicator. There are more than 1,270 entities with Russian capital operating in Azerbaijan, and this number is certainly not the limit’, he said at the time.
A little less than a year later, Azerbaijan’s relations are in a much different place, arguably at their lowest level since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
The primary reasons for the deterioration are the deadly crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines jet in December 2024 — which Baku has accused Russia of causing — and a Russian police raid in June 2025 that resulted in the deaths of two Azerbaijani brothers.
Nonetheless, two months after the plane crash, at a time when anger in Azerbaijan was still simmering, President Ilham Aliyev approved a finalised agreement to enhance bilateral cooperation on the ‘North–South’ international transport corridor between Russia and Azerbaijan.
While details on the agreement were scant in state-run and pro-government media, as well as independent outlets, the goal of the deal is to improve efficiency and generally ‘develop’ cargo connections.
Javid Agha
