Yerevan /Mediamax/. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence that relations between Russia and Azerbaijan "will develop in the spirit of strategic partnership and alliance.”

“Under your leadership, Azerbaijan has achieved widely recognized successes in the social and economic spheres and is consistently strengthening its position on the international stage.

Relations between our countries are based on the fine traditions of friendship, good neighborliness, and mutual respect. I am confident that these relations will continue to develop in the spirit of strategic partnership and alliance, to the benefit of the Russian and Azerbaijani peoples,” Vladimir Putin said in a congratulatory telegram on the occasion of Ilham Aliyev’s birthday.