Azerbaijan Will Not Tolerate Aggression or Disrespect from Russia – Ilham Aliyev

Azerbaijan will not tolerate aggression or disrespect from Russia, President Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with the Al Arabiya television channel.

He stated that the downing of an Azerbaijani civilian aircraft by Russian forces and the reaction of Russian officials to the incident have caused immense disappointment and dissatisfaction in Azerbaijan.

“First, this should not have happened, as in the case of drone attacks on Russian airports, they declare a special regime. In Russian, this regime is called 'Kover' [Carpet], and if it is announced, all aircraft receive a signal about a drone attack and turn back. Two weeks before the crash, the same thing happened to our aircraft, which was flying to the same Russian city. The pilots received the signal and turned back. This time, they did not give such a signal. They gave the signal only after the plane had already been hit. This means they did it simply to mislead those who would conduct the investigation. They struck the plane twice. Only the professionalism and courage of the pilots allowed the aircraft to land, and fortunately, it landed in Kazakhstan, not in Russia,” Aliyev continued.

He pointed to evidence that the plane was hit.

“Two people on the plane were wounded by shrapnel that pierced the fuselage. There is wreckage of the plane… The entire fuselage was riddled with shrapnel. It was damaged by the Russian air defense system. First of all, the plane should not have been shot down at all. However, it was a tragic mistake,” the President of Azerbaijan further noted.

He described the situation in bilateral relations as “very serious.” “But we did not want the deterioration of these relations. Yes, our people were disappointed, angry, and upset. We were waiting for the investigation to conclude sooner or later. But then these unfounded attacks on Azerbaijanis in Russia began. Two people were tortured and killed. And the official information that followed said they died of a heart attack. Even if, as they say, they committed a crime 20 years ago, they are still human beings. They cannot be treated like that. What kind of attitude is this? Among them were citizens of Azerbaijan and Russian citizens of Azerbaijani descent. This was an unprecedented act against our people. We are not responsible for the deterioration of relations. We respond constructively and legally, but we will never tolerate any signs or manifestations of aggression or disrespect towards us,” Aliyev stated.

When asked, “…Are you not afraid of steps from Russia in the region that could stop what Azerbaijan is trying to do?” the head of Azerbaijan replied that the Russian Federation “has a military base in Armenia with several thousand servicemen.” “At the same time, the borders of Armenia with Iran and Turkey are guarded by Russian border guards. There is not a single Russian soldier on the territory of Azerbaijan. I do not know what might happen in Armenia. But I do not want to think about such a negative outcome,” the President of Azerbaijan emphasized.