Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev calls on Russia to acknowledge the accidental downing of an Azeri plane and punish those responsible.

Ilham Aliyev has called on Russia to publicly admit that it accidentally shot down an Azeri passenger plane, killing 38 people. Although Vladimir Putin apologized, Aliyev stressed that Moscow must be held accountable for the incident and provide compensation to the victims' families. In addition, Aliyev spoke about the opening of a transit corridor between Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan exclave, stressing the need for security guarantees for passengers. Relations between Azerbaijan and Russia have deteriorated recently, complicating prospects for peace in the region.