During a meeting in Dushanbe, Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan discussed the progress of the investigation into the AZAL plane crash, as well as the broader dynamics of Russian-Azerbaijani relations.
President Putin confirmed that Russia is providing full assistance in determining the causes of the AZAL aircraft tragedy.
“We are, of course, as agreed, providing every possible assistance to the investigation. The investigation is nearing completion,” he stated.
President Aliyev, in turn, expressed gratitude to his Russian counterpart for personally overseeing the situation.
“I would like to thank you for personally keeping this situation under control. You are personally overseeing the course of the investigation, and we had no doubt that it would thoroughly and objectively determine all the circumstances,” Aliyev said.
“Once again, I would like to express my gratitude that you deemed it important to address this issue during our meeting.”
Preliminary Findings
President Putin outlined several factors that may have contributed to the crash.
“The first factor is that a Ukrainian drone was present in the airspace. We were tracking three drones that had crossed into Russian Federation territory overnight on the day of the tragedy,” he said.
“The second reason involves technical malfunctions in Russia’s air defense system itself.”
According to the Russian leader, two missiles were launched but did not directly strike the aircraft — otherwise, the plane would have crashed immediately. He explained that the damage was likely caused by debris from the missiles, rather than the warhead fragments themselves.
Putin emphasized that the investigation must remain objective, adding that “to reach a definitive conclusion, it will likely take a little more time.”
Strengthening Bilateral Cooperation
Beyond the tragic incident, both leaders noted the positive momentum in Azerbaijani-Russian relations, particularly in trade, economy, and humanitarian cooperation.
President Aliyev highlighted the steady growth in trade turnover:
“As you noted, not only trade and economic relations but also all other areas have seen successful development this year. There is positive momentum in the growth of trade turnover.”
Putin echoed this sentiment, noting that Moscow remains committed to maintaining the positive trajectory of bilateral relations.
“Thanks to your attention to this matter, our humanitarian ties have consistently remained at a high level,” he said.
“For our part, we will do everything to maintain this positive momentum.”
Concluding the talks, President Putin expressed confidence that cooperation between Moscow and Baku would continue in the spirit of alliance and mutual respect.
“I hope that this cooperation will not only be restored but will continue in the spirit of our relations, in the spirit of our alliance. We never forget this; we remember the agreement that was signed not so long ago, and we will do everything to implement all its main provisions,” Putin said.
