The Azerbaijani Embassy in Moscow conveyed to the Russian side through diplomatic channels the inadmissibility of offensive remarks directed at Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, following statements made by political scientist and member of Russia's Public Chamber Vladimir Karasyov, RBC reports, citing Azerbaijani outlet Minval.
The embassy urged the Russian side to prevent similar incidents in the future. “We are continuing to monitor the situation,” the embassy added.
According to the description of Karasyov's Telegram channel, he is a member of the Coordinating Council under Russia’s Public Chamber for the integration of new territories.
Karasyov reacted sharply to Aliyev's comments, in which the Azerbaijani president blamed "Russian representatives" for the crash of an Embraer aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines. Karasyov reposted a publication about Aliyev's statement on his Telegram channel, accompanying it with a vulgar remark.
The Kremlin stated it was unaware of Karasyov's comments. “Of course, Russia's foreign policy is formulated and determined by the president of Russia and implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other agencies in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is what should be taken into account,” said Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Russian president.
The Azerbaijan Airlines plane, en route from Baku to Grozny, crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on the morning of December 25. Onboard were 67 passengers from Russia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. The crash claimed 38 lives, while 29 survived.
Ilham Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan had issued three demands to Russia regarding the crash. “First, the Russian side must apologize to Azerbaijan. Second, it must admit its fault. Third, those responsible must be punished, held criminally accountable, and compensation must be paid to the Azerbaijani state, affected passengers, and crew members. These are our conditions,” the Azerbaijani president said.
On December 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to Aliyev, acknowledging that the “tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace.”
