Azerbaijani FM: Plane crash causes must be fully investigated and announced

Following the telephone conversation between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov held a phone conservation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Report informs, referring to Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry.

During the phone call, Lavrov expressed his condolences to the families and relatives of the victims, and to the people of Azerbaijan, following the tragic crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) passenger plane on the Baku-Grozny route on December 25.

Bayramov, in turn, extended his wishes for God's mercy on the victims and a speedy recovery for the injured. He emphasized that initial inspections of the plane, the presence of multiple holes in the fuselage, and statements from the flight attendants and passengers established that the crash was due to physical and technical interference.

The minister communicated Azerbaijan's expectation for a swift conclusion of the investigation into the accident's causes, involving international experts, and for the causes to be determined and announced comprehensively and seriously.

Bayramov also stressed the importance of conducting the investigation transparently and keeping the public regularly informed.