The Kremlin understands that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev cannot attend the CIS summit in Saint Petersburg due to his busy schedule, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said.

Axar.az informs, citing TASS, “No, we completely understand. Heads of state indeed have very tight schedules, especially in December, ahead of the New Year,” he said in response to a question about whether Aliyev’s absence at the Saint Petersburg summit came as a surprise to the Kremlin.

“We continue to develop our partnership and constructive cooperation with Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan also continues to participate in all CIS formats,” the Kremlin representative added.