Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada has rejected statements made by Russia’s Foreign Ministry concerning insurance payments following the downing of an “Azerbaijan Airlines” (AZAL) aircraft and on the state of Azerbaijan–Russia relations.
Hajizada underlined that insurance payments made by a Russian-registered company to AZAL and its passengers were contractual obligations and unrelated to Azerbaijan’s demand for compensation from the Russian government. “Attempts to equate insurance payments with state compensation are inappropriate,” he said, stressing that the process was completed months ago.
He also dismissed Moscow’s claim that the arrest of 13 Russian citizens in Azerbaijan caused bilateral tensions. Instead, Hajizada emphasized that relations deteriorated after the shootdown of the AZAL plane and the subsequent conduct of Russian officials. Additional strains, he noted, stemmed from the persecution of Azerbaijanis in Russia, including ethnically motivated violence in Yekaterinburg, and hostile actions by various Russian state agencies.
