“The statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation on September 4 regarding the issue of insurance payments for the crash of an "Azerbaijan Airlines" (AZAL) aircraft due to being shot down is not only surprising but also confuses the public.”
These words were stated by Aykhan Hajizada, head of the Press Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan.
According to him, the issues of insurance payments made to AZAL and its passengers by an insurance company registered in Russia, and our country's demand for compensation from the Russian Government regarding the shooting down of the aircraft, are completely different topics:
“The process of organizing the aforementioned insurance payments by the company has been ongoing for 6 months. In general, these payments are provided precisely within the framework of AZAL's insurance contract, in accordance with the obligations resulting from the company insuring its aircraft and passengers. As for the issue of payments being made specifically by a Russian insurance company, it should be noted that aircraft insurance is usually carried out through relevant international insurance companies. Considering that no international insurance company operates on the territory of Russia, AZAL's aircraft insurance was carried out through a Russian company.
Thus, attempts to equate insurance payments with the compensation demanded by Azerbaijan from the Russian government are incorrect.
Furthermore, it is incorrect for the press secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation to present the arrest of 13 Russian citizens in Azerbaijan in July of this year as a reason for the deterioration of Azerbaijan-Russia relations and to put forward their release as a condition for improving relations.
It is known that the escalation of Azerbaijan-Russia relations was caused precisely by the crash of the AZAL aircraft due to being shot down and the subsequent behavior demonstrated by Russian officials. Additionally, the persecution of Azerbaijanis based on ethnic origin in Russia, and the beating and murder of Azerbaijanis in Yekaterinburg, have created additional tension in relations. Furthermore, the activities of various Russian state bodies against Azerbaijan are among the factors negatively affecting relations.”