Ilham Aliyev: Azerbaijan is not responsible for the deterioration of relations with Russia

Azerbaijan is not responsible for the deterioration of relations with Russia and will never tolerate manifestations of aggression or disrespect.

As reported by BAKU.WS, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev stated this in an interview with the Saudi TV channel "Al-Arabiya".

The head of state noted that on the last day of the Second Karabakh War, November 9, Azerbaijan accidentally shot down a Russian helicopter that approached the border, where it should not have been initially.

"Immediately, on the same day, I called the President of Russia and apologized. We immediately paid compensation to the families of the deceased pilots and the Ministry of Defense. We launched an investigation, and those who made this tragic mistake were held accountable. We did not see anything similar from Russia," the president said.

Ilham Aliyev emphasized that Azerbaijan's behavior gave reason to expect the same attitude from Russia. However, the actions of the Russian side after the downing of the AZAL passenger plane came as a big surprise.

"And they still don't say what happened. So this is, of course, a very serious situation in our bilateral relations. But we did not want the deterioration of these relations. Yes, our people were disappointed, angry, upset. We expected that sooner or later the investigation would end. But then these unfounded attacks on Azerbaijanis in Russia began. Two people were tortured and killed. And the subsequent official information stated that they died of a heart attack," the Azerbaijani leader emphasized.

According to him, even if they committed a crime 20 years ago, this does not give grounds for such treatment. "Among them were citizens of Azerbaijan and Russian citizens of Azerbaijani origin. This was an unprecedented act against our people. We are not responsible for the deterioration of relations. We respond constructively and legally, but we will never tolerate any signs or manifestations of aggression or disrespect towards us," the head of state said.