President Ilham Aliyev, en route to the Russian Federation to attend the informal summit of the heads of state of CIS member countries in St. Petersburg today, was informed about the plane crash while in the Russian airspace and promptly instructed the aircraft to return.

As soon as the plane landed at Heydar Aliyev International Airport, President Ilham Aliyev convened a meeting to address the incident.

Addressing the meeting, the head of state stated:

“I pray for Allah’s mercy upon those who lost their lives in the plane crash. I extend my condolences and pray for patience for their families and loved ones. This is a great tragedy, a significant loss for the people of Azerbaijan.

This morning, I was flying from Baku to St. Petersburg to attend the CIS Summit when I was informed of this tragic incident during the flight. I immediately gave instructions for the plane to return to Baku. While still in the air, I issued the necessary directives, spoke with the Prime Minister, and initiated the formation of a commission under his leadership.

In addition, a team of Azerbaijani representatives was dispatched to Aktau, where the crash had occurred. Further instructions were given to send medical teams from Azerbaijan to Aktau as quickly as possible.

The commission’s task is to fully investigate the matter, examine the causes of the crash and all its details, and provide information both to me and to the Azerbaijani public. According to the information provided to me, the AZAL airline plane, flying on the Baku-Grozny route, changed its course due to worsening weather conditions and began heading toward Aktau airport, where the crash occurred during landing. There are videos of the plane crash available in the media and on social networks, and everyone can watch them. However, the reasons for the crash are not yet known to us. There are various theories, but I believe it is premature to discuss them. The matter must be thoroughly investigated. A criminal case has been launched by the Prosecutor General’s Office, and naturally, the Azerbaijani public will be regularly informed about both the results of the commission’s work and the progress of the criminal case.

Expressing my sorrow for those who lost their lives and their loved ones, I once again pray for Allah’s mercy for the deceased, wish recovery to the injured, and offer patience to the families and relatives of the deceased and injured. Thank you.”