The Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday urged Azerbaijan to restore its ties with Moscow to a level befitting "strategic cooperation" after saying that certain forces were trying to wreck the two countries' relationship.

The rift, provoked by the deaths of two ethnic Azerbaijanis in Russian custody, was the latest in a series of spats that revealed a deeper diplomatic rift between the former allies.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday (July 2) that it still does not have access to its citizens detained in recent days in Azerbaijan, amid escalating tensions between the two countries. Two journalists working for a Russian state outlet were arrested in Baku on Monday (June 30),