Kremlin acknowledges strain in Russia-Azerbaijan relations

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia-Azerbaijan relations are currently going through a challenging phase, but Moscow remains hopeful for improvement as the two countries share common interests, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

Tensions between Moscow and Baku have escalated in recent months following the detention of several ethnic Azerbaijanis in Russia and the death of two of them in police custody.

On Saturday Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, said he wanted Russia to publicly…