The "Central Asia - Russia" summit in Dushanbe on October 9-10 and the dialogue between Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev within the framework of the CIS Council of Heads of State began with the crash of the AZAL aircraft that crashed in Kazakhstan on December 25 last year. According to RIA, Putin himself proposed opening the meeting with this very issue.
The Russian President, reminding that Azerbaijan had previously officially apologized for the tragedy that occurred in Russian airspace, expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the deceased passengers. According to him, Moscow is fully supporting the investigation within the framework of the agreements, and the causes of the incident are being investigated, including aspects related to the presence of a Ukrainian drone in the sky.
Putin said that on the day of the tragedy, the AZAL aircraft crossed the Russian border, "following" three Ukrainian drones. Two missiles fired by the air defense system did not directly hit the airliner - the explosions occurred several meters away, and the passenger plane was most likely damaged by debris. It was also noted that the crew was allowed to land in Makhachkala, but they preferred to return to their airfield.
The head of state emphasized that the actions of the responsible officials will not go unnoticed, that Russia will carry out the necessary procedures on compensation issues, and that it will take time to fully cover this situation.
A total of 67 people (including 5 crew members) were on board the AZAL aircraft: 38 passengers died, 29 survived. At the meeting within the framework of the summit, the parties reaffirmed their interest in a comprehensive, open, and systematic investigation of this case.
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