Political parties in Azerbaijan have differing assessments regarding the plane crash

On December 25, an Embraer 190 passenger plane operated by Azerbaijan Airlines CJSC (AZAL), on a Baku–Grozny flight, crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan.

Azerbaijan’s Consul General in Aktau, Ayxan Suleymanlı, stated that the plane had 67 people onboard, including crew members, 38 of whom died. According to him, 26 of the deceased were Azerbaijani citizens.

On December 26, AZAL President Samir Rzayev told journalists that the crashed plane had undergone complete maintenance in October and had no technical malfunctions. He emphasized that it was too early to discuss any specific aspects of the crash: "The plane’s black box has been found. All details will become clear after thorough investigations."

A total of 24 political parties operating in the country, led by the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP), issued a statement regarding the plane crash. The signatories expressed hope that the relevant state authorities would investigate the crash's consequences promptly and provide detailed information to the public while ensuring adequate state care for those affected by the accident.

They also condemned attempts by some to turn this tragic event into a subject of "political speculation."

However, Gülağa Aslanlı, Deputy Chair of the opposition Musavat Party, which did not sign the statement, told Radio Azadliq that an international commission is needed to investigate the incident: "Russia should not be allowed to participate in it."

Aslanlı noted that some visible evidence suggests the plane was fired upon while in flight: "Most likely, it was forced to land in Aktau."

Nevertheless, Aslanlı emphasized that the Musavat Party’s position is to await the findings of the established commission: "But if the ‘black box’ is sent to Russia for analysis, I will view the results with suspicion. Fortunately, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Brazil will conduct the investigation. It is essential for representatives of independent international organizations to be involved."

Another opposition force, the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (AXCP), also did not sign the statement. Its Deputy Chair, Seymur Həzi, disagreed with accusations of political speculation: "The entire society expects credible information from the state commission, and so do we."

Həzi mentioned that the AXCP had not received an invitation to join the statement: "We do not believe it is necessary to make a joint statement on this issue. Political parties can express their positions individually or collectively. Our stance is that this is a very tragic event. There are various opinions surrounding the incident, and both official and unofficial statements have been made regarding videos taken at the scene. To consolidate these views and eliminate speculative thoughts, the state commission must share credible and substantiated findings with the public."

Meanwhile, the Kremlin is refraining from commenting on the reasons behind the AZAL plane crash.

Dmitry Peskov, Press Secretary for the President of the Russian Federation, stated that it is inappropriate to speculate about the causes of the air crash near Aktau while the investigation is ongoing:
"Currently, the investigation is underway, and any aviation incident must be examined by specialized aviation authorities. We must wait for the investigation to conclude. It is not appropriate to make any assumptions, and we cannot, nor should anyone else," Peskov said.