During his meeting with Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the arrest of Russian IT specialists in Baku, who were accused of drug smuggling, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Axar.az informs, citing TASS, "Painstaking work now continues, and [Russian] President [Vladimir Putin] raised all these sensitive issues, which are being discussed at the working level. We continue our dialogue," the spokesman said in reply to a question on whether Putin had discussed the release of Russians detained in Baku on suspicion of drug trafficking during his recent talks with Aliyev and whether the Russian side had engaged in any contacts with Azerbaijan on the topic.

Peskov also emphasized that Moscow highly appreciated the results of the leaders’ meeting in Dushanbe, adding that it "was aimed at turning the page in bilateral relations."

In July, a Baku court detained Russian citizens for four months. They were accused of drug smuggling from Iran and cybersecurity violations. The court previously extended the arrest by three months.