Fuad Huseynaliyev: Russia's Apologies for Shooting Down AZAL Aircraft Must Be Clear

Russia should apologize with clearer wording and pay compensation for the downed Embraer-190 aircraft of Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL).

This was stated by Fuad Huseynaliyev, director of the Report news agency, during the İşgüzar səhər ("Business Morning") program on ARB24 TV channel.

According to him, preliminary investigation results clearly show that the Azerbaijani aircraft was shot down in Russian airspace.

"The Azerbaijani side has never claimed that the Russian side intentionally shot down an Azerbaijani civilian aircraft. Of course, this is an unfortunate incident. But even for this unintentional act, the Russian side should openly and fully apologize," Huseynaliyev emphasized.

He noted that in its statements about the incident, the Russian side has so far used the expression "an accident that occurred in Russian airspace." "This is not an accident in Russian airspace. This is a negligent mistake made by Russian air defense forces. Accident and mistake are different concepts. Therefore, I think the apology should be made with clearer wording," Fuad Huseynaliyev emphasized.

The agency director added that the next stage should address the issue of compensation payment and holding accountable those involved in the incident.

"It's quite difficult to predict what steps the Russian side will take regarding the plane crash in Baku. After all, Russia knew exactly how the incident occurred from the very beginning. We will see what actions they take in the coming days. But the reality is that the absurd claims appearing on Russian Telegram channels are unfounded, and it's obvious that the truth cannot be hidden," he noted.

Fuad Huseynaliyev drew attention to attempts to smooth over this issue through diplomatic channels in the first days after the incident: "But the determination of the Azerbaijani side showed that we will not allow any external investigation on this matter. That's why the 'black boxes' were sent to Brazil for examination."

Although there is an Interstate Aviation Committee that also handles black box examinations in CIS aviation accidents, this body is located in Russia. It was precisely to ensure a transparent investigation that the black boxes were sent to Brazil, he emphasized.

Fuad Huseynaliyev noted that information about Operation "Carpet" was provided only eight minutes after the aircraft's control systems failed: "Eight minutes after the plane was shot down, information about Operation 'Carpet' conducted in Grozny was provided. This is evidenced by preliminary results. This also reveals that Russia's claim that the aircraft crew was aware of Operation 'Carpet' is false. It has also been established that assumptions about the aircraft colliding with a flock of birds or an air balloon explosion are groundless," the agency director concluded.