One year has passed since the "Embraer 190" aircraft, performing "Azerbaijan Airlines" (AZAL) flight J2-8243 Baku-Grozny, crashed 3 km near Aktau, Kazakhstan. The investigation has not yet been concluded. The Russian President had noted to President Ilham Aliyev during the Dushanbe meeting that the investigation was in its final stage and that he was personally overseeing the matter.
However, despite one year having passed since the incident, there are no results.
Elshad Musayev, member of the Milli Majlis Azerbaijan-Russia Interparliamentary Working Group and chairman of the Great Azerbaijan Party, told Modern.az that from the very first day of the incident, it was known who gave the order and who opened fire:
“One year has passed since our aircraft crashed. Unfortunately, during this one year, Russia did not fulfill its obligations. Russian President Vladimir Putin made an apology speech once or twice. However, the promises made regarding clarification have not been fulfilled, and this has led to a deterioration of relations.
At that time, I had also taken a strong stance, stating that Russia deliberately caused this incident. Since then, it has been known who gave the order and who opened fire. Unfortunately, those who committed this crime have still not been punished.”
Elshad Musayev added that the Azerbaijan-Russia Interparliamentary Working Groups, of which he is a member, did not hold a separate meeting regarding the incident:
“This issue has not been discussed. However, as both a Member of Parliament and a party chairman, I have fulfilled my duty by issuing a statement, taking a strong stance, condemning Russia, and asserting Azerbaijan's rightful position.
As long as Russia does not abandon its imperial ambitions and continues to pursue an aggressive policy, such incidents will be numerous. Unfortunately, Russia still looks down on the surrounding countries. Regrettably, Russia has not abandoned its former ambitions towards Azerbaijan either.
Simply put, Azerbaijan is not the Azerbaijan of the past – it has strengthened economically, politically, and militarily. Unfortunately, Russia has not taken steps to improve relations. The longer it refrains from taking these steps, the less favorable relations will be.”
Another member of the Milli Majlis Azerbaijan-Russia Interparliamentary Working Group, Azer Allahveranov, noted that Russia is indifferent to Azerbaijan's expectation-based relations:
“Like every Azerbaijani citizen, it was an incident that shook me at the time. Today, we are marking the 1st anniversary of that incident. We have not encountered any information regarding the punishment, i.e., holding accountable, of individuals known to be guilty in the occurrence of that incident or representatives of any military units belonging to the armed forces of the Russian Federation.
During the meeting held in Dushanbe, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin openly apologized and declared his firm stance on holding the culprits accountable for the incident and paying compensation to those affected. However, unfortunately, these two points have not been resolved to this day.
At the same time, a final report should have been published within 1 year, but this did not happen. Furthermore, reference should have been made to the investigation materials of the Russian Federation's investigation team. The Russian side has not yet provided the investigation materials.
All of this can naturally affect the formation of very precise and expectation-based relations on the Azerbaijani side. In any case, we still expect the Russian side to carry out its duties regarding the elements I mentioned. However, we do not see any steps being taken.
The progress of some processes related to initial assessment or investigative measures had been noted in the Russian media through official sources. But realistically, considering that today is December 25, the fact that a final decision has still not been made indicates that the Russian side is indifferent to Azerbaijan's expectation-based relations.”
The parliamentarian stated that the incident was discussed during contacts between members of the friendship groups:
“Regarding the discussion of the incident within the framework of the friendship group, a separate discussion dedicated to this has not been held in the working group. However, this topic remains a focus during contacts among the members of the working group. We also express our position on this matter through the media and various media channels.
Ultimately, our main hope is that the Russian side will, as in other areas, accompany its relations based on the principle of goodwill here as well, specifically fulfilling the obligations it has undertaken in connection with the incident.
In any case, the Russian side is not making a statement. Here, the Azerbaijani side has the right to appeal to an international court, and this right remains in force. A relevant decision will be announced after discussions are held in the relevant circles regarding this.”
Vugar Iskandarov, a member of the Milli Majlis Azerbaijan-Russia Interparliamentary Working Group, stated that Russia's irrational policy in some matters is regrettable:
“Unfortunately, it is Russia again that negatively affects our relations. While allied relations dictate mutually beneficial cooperation between us, we witnessed an inadequate policy from the Russian side. One of these is the shooting down of an AZAL aircraft in Russian airspace and its subsequent crash near Aktau.
A commission has been working in this direction for 1 year. Representatives are present in the Azerbaijan-Russia-Kazakhstan commission, and work is ongoing. During this 1 year, the Russian President has apologized repeatedly. He even voiced several ideas that gave us all hope during his meeting with Mr. President in Dushanbe, explaining to Mr. President that the matter was under his control and promising that it would be resolved shortly.
The issues concern holding those involved in this incident accountable and the Russian side providing compensation. The matter is regulated by the international Chicago Convention, as well as relations and laws between the two countries. Russia must absolutely take all these steps. This is dictated by international law, justice, and relations.”
The parliamentarian also spoke about the discussion of the issue during meetings of representatives of the interparliamentary working groups of the two countries and what the other side said:
“As a member of the Azerbaijan-Russia Interparliamentary Working Group, I should note that no special meeting has been held between the two countries regarding this issue. However, Azerbaijani delegations have made quite a few visits to Russia. This issue has been discussed among the deputies of the two countries. They also stated that a final decision should be awaited after the completion of the commission's work.
Despite 1 year having passed since the incident, there are no statements from the Russian side. We believe that the issue will definitely find its resolution. Because we think Russia must understand: Azerbaijan is a strong state and protects and will protect the rights of its citizens. The Azerbaijani state has no intention of making any concessions on such matters.
Official Moscow, as stated by the President, must strive for a correct and fair resolution of the issue and bring it to a conclusion. This absolutely entails the payment of compensation and the identification and criminal prosecution of all those involved in this matter. Today, these are the main official demands of the Azerbaijani side.”
