On 28 December, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.
In continuation of the conversation between the presidents of the two countries held on the same day, the ministers discussed the development of events related to the crash of AZAL passenger plane on 25 December near Aktau.
"Reaffirming the Presidents' agreement on the need to ensure the most thorough investigation of this tragic incident, the Ministers expressed deep condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
They emphasised the need to establish all the causes of the incident and take urgent measures to prevent similar situations in the future and for the final and complete settlement of the incident, taking into account all the circumstances," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
In turn, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said that Bayramov stressed that the initial inspection of the aircraft showed the presence of numerous holes in the fuselage. The testimony of flight attendants and passengers confirmed the fact that "the aircraft crashed as a result of physical and technical interference".
“The Minister brought to the attention of the other side the expectations of the Azerbaijani side in the direction of completing the investigation of the causes of the disaster and declaring the causes of the disaster in a serious and comprehensive manner, with the participation of a group of international experts.
In addition, the importance of a transparent investigation and regular public information was emphasised.".
Politics
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On December 29, a mourning ceremony is being held at Heydar Aliyev International Airport to bid farewell to the crew members who lost their lives in the crash of an Embraer 190 passenger plane operated by Azerbaijan Airlines on its Baku-Grozny route. Families, officials, and members of the public have gathered to pay their respects to the victims of the December 25 tragedy.
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Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia (ICR) Alexander Bastrykin arrived in Grozny, where he held a meeting on the investigation of the crash of the plane "Azerbaijan Airlines".
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On December 28 president of Ukrain called to the president of Azerbaijan İlham Aliyev.
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The preliminary investigation into the case of Russian oligarch and former "state minister" of the separatist regime of Nagorno-Karabakh, Ruben Vardanyan, has been completed. According to a joint statement by the Prosecutor General's Office and the State Security Service of Azerbaijan, Vardanyan has been charged under the following articles of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code: Article 100 (planning or waging aggressive war), Article 107 (deportation or coercion of the population), Article 109 (persecution), Article 112 (deprivation of liberty in violation of international law), Article 113 (torture), Article 114 (mercenary activities), Article 115 (violating laws and customs of war), Article 116 (violating laws and customs of war), Article 214 (terrorism), Article 214-1 (financing terrorism), Article 218 (organization of a criminal community), Article 228 (illegal trafficking in weapons), Article 270-1 (creating threats to aviation safety), Article 278 (violent seizure of power or violent retention of power, violent change of the constitutional order of the state), Article 279 (creation of illegal armed formations), Article 318 (illegal crossing of the Azerbaijani state border).
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