Illustration: Mikroskop Media
Russia will pay compensation for downing of Azerbaijani plane
The Foreign Ministries of Azerbaijan and Russia have issued a final statement regarding the 2024 crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane.
What the statement says:
The crash occurred as a result of the “unintentional activation” of an air defense (AD) system in Russian airspace.
The steps taken are aimed at developing mutually beneficial cooperation and strengthening alliance relations.
The future development of Azerbaijani-Russian relations will serve the expansion of friendly neighborliness and cooperation.
Deep condolences were expressed to the relatives of those who lost their lives as a result of the crash.
The Azerbaijani government had 4 main demands:
The Russian side should apologize for the accident
Admit direct responsibility for the incident
Compensation should be paid to the victims
The perpetrators should be punished
The main demand among these was for the punishment of the guilty. However, the statement says nothing about this.
The passenger plane operating the AZAL-owned Baku–Grozny flight crashed near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25, 2024. Of the 67 people on board, 38 were killed and 29 survived.
Leader of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Russia sentenced to 24 years in prison
The next verdict has been announced for the leader of the Azerbaijani diaspora, Shahin Shikhlinski, who was arrested during a period of reciprocal arrests as relations between Russia and Azerbaijan deteriorated.
Charges: Using force against a representative of the authorities.
The verdict: 9 years in a maximum-security prison. Because Şıxlinski had previously been sentenced to 22 years, the court consolidated the two sentences, handing down a total of 24 years.
Background: The detention of members of the Azerbaijani diaspora in the Urals coincided with the downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane. At that time, Azerbaijan also arrested Russian citizens in response to these arrests.
Azerbaijan bought $960 worth of goods from Armenia
In March of this year, Azerbaijan imported goods from Armenia for the first time. It bought $960 worth of roses. These are flowers imported from the Netherlands.
Background: The Armenian side initially denied this, stating that no such sale had occurred. The Azerbaijani side, however, has tried to claim that these flowers actually came from the Netherlands. They were simply purchased through Armenia, which is why they were registered as products from Armenia.
How much did Azerbaijan export: In the first quarter of this year, it exported a total of $5.8 million worth of products to Armenia. This is mostly gasoline and diesel fuel.