On May 4, Azerbaijani Member of Parliament Azer Badamov was denied entry into Russia and deported back to Baku, an incident that has escalated diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

Badamov was part of an official Azerbaijani delegation invited to Astrakhan by the region’s Vice-Governor, Denis Afanasyev, to participate in commemorative events marking the 102nd anniversary of former President Heydar Aliyev’s birth. Upon arrival at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport, Badamov was detained, informed he was banned from entering Russia, and prevented from boarding his connecting flight to Astrakhan.

On the same day, Aykhan Hajizada, spokesperson for Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commented on the refusal of entry to Badamov.

In his statement, Hajizada confirmed that the incident occurred that day, noting that the delegation, which included Badamov, a member of the Milli Majlis, was visiting Astrakhan at the invitation of Denis Afanasyev, Deputy Governor and Chairman of the Government of the Astrakhan Region, to attend events honoring the 102nd anniversary of Heydar Aliyev, National Leader of the Azerbaijani people. He explained that, despite the delegation traveling from Baku to Moscow, Russian authorities, without prior warning, detained Badamov at the airport and informed him that he was banned from entering the country.

Hajizada stated that after being held at the airport for some time, Badamov was sent back to Azerbaijan. Following the incident, Azerbaijan’s Embassy in Russia immediately contacted the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which promised to investigate the matter but provided no explanation for the decision. The spokesperson emphasized that Baku views this action by Russia as an unfriendly step and expects a comprehensive explanation from Moscow.

Previously, Azer Badamov publicly criticized Russian State Duma member Nikolai Valuev for remarks deemed offensive to Azerbaijan and its citizens. In February 2025, following Valuev’s comments about the closure of the Russian House in Baku, Badamov responded on Facebook, stating: “If you try to artistically depict the average representative of ‘shobla,’ then the portrait of Nikolai Valuev is best suited for this. It is enough to look at the anthropological type of this creature to understand that this is a rare exhibit of a dead-end branch of evolution, stuck somewhere between a Neanderthal and Homo sapiens in its development.”