President Aliyev: Azerbaijan demands punishment of guilty for AZAL plane crash

President Ilham Aliyev on Monday stated that Azerbaijan demands punishment of the guilty for the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane crash.

“I can say with full certainty that the blame for the fact that Azerbaijani citizens died in this disaster lies with representatives of the Russian Federation. And we demand justice, we demand punishment of the guilty, we demand full transparency and human behavior,” President Aliyev said during a meeting with the family member of the crew who perished in the plane crash and surviving flight attendants, News.Az reports.

“The black boxes are being decoded now, and I am sure that we will find out preliminary results in the near future and everything will fall into place. The whole picture of the tragedy will be clear. And this, of course, will be an important part of the full investigation of this tragedy and the punishment of those responsible for it,” the head of state added.

He stressed that the Azerbaijani state has always appreciated the activities and heroism of its sons and daughters.

“The Azerbaijani state has always appreciated the activities and heroism of its sons and daughters. This time, too, the heroism of the crew was also acknowledged,” the president said.

“Three of the crew members were posthumously awarded the high title of National Hero, while the two surviving crew members were also awarded high state honors. This may be a small consolation for the families who lost their loved ones, but it is also the attitude of the Azerbaijani state towards its citizens,” the head of state emphasized.

News.Az