India, Oct. 26 -- External affairs minister S. Jaishankar's visit to Baku on October 23, 2026 is more than a routine diplomatic engagement. It represents a carefully calibrated attempt by New Delhi to reset a relationship that had drifted into quiet awkwardness. Without public recrimination, without dramatic gestures, and without abandoning core strategic interests, this seems a well-articulated attempt to get over that awkwardness in bilateral relations. In the often theatrical world of international diplomacy, the visit stands out for its restraint and deliberate pragmatism.

For more than a year, India-Azerbaijan relations had carried an undercurrent of friction. Baku's sharp criticism of India's Operation Sindoor in May 2025, its open...