Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is set to embark on an official visit to Azerbaijan on February 27-28. The trip is timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Declaration on Allied Cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan. The declaration, signed at the highest level, strengthens coordination in international affairs, military-political cooperation, counter-terrorism efforts, economic cooperation and expands dialogue in the humanitarian sphere.

During his visit, Lavrov is expected to meet with President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. They plan to comprehensively discuss the state and prospects of bilateral cooperation and exchange views on pressing aspects of the regional and international agenda, including issues related to Azerbaijani-Armenian normalization.

Lavrov will also participate in the thematic conference "Russian-Azerbaijani Relations in the 21st Century: Strategic Partnership in the Context of Regional Security." The event will be part of the third meeting of the Russian-Azerbaijani Expert Council and will be dedicated to the anniversary of the relations between the two countries reaching the allied level.