Azerbaijan's state television channel, AzTV, has called on Russia to admit responsibility and issue an apology for the crash of the AZAL passenger plane, which is alleged to have been caused by an attack from Russian air defenses.
In its broadcast, AzTV referenced Azerbaijan's actions during the 44-day Patriotic War, when Baku apologized for downing a Russian helicopter and provided compensation, contrasting this with Moscow's continued refusal to acknowledge the recent incident.
Members of Parliament Elchin Mirzabeyli and Tural Ganjaliyev also voiced their concerns, emphasizing that Russia is obliged to apologize in line with the provisions of the Chicago Convention of 1944.
To note, AZAL's Embraer 190 passenger plane on the Baku-Grozny route crashed 3 km away from Aktau airport on December 25.
A total of 67 people (62 passengers and 5 crew members) were on board the Embraer 190 airplane, flying Baku-Grozny, which crashed in Aktau.
Following the crash of the passenger airplane near Aktau, 27 people were hospitalized. Of them, 15 people are citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan, 8 - of the Russian Federation, and 3 - of the Kyrgyz Republic. The identity of one person has not been established yet.
Of the victims hospitalized, 11 are being treated in the intensive care unit, 13 - in the traumatology department, 2 - in the neurosurgery department, and 1 - in the surgical department. These persons are under the control of professional doctors from Kazakhstan and those expelled from Azerbaijan and Russia. They were provided with prompt and specialized medical and psychological treatment.
Both crew pilots as well as the flight stewardess were lost, but two crew members survived.
December 26 has been declared a day of mourning in Azerbaijan.
