Dushanbe, October 9, 2025 – The Europe Today: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held a one-on-one meeting with President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on October 9 in Dushanbe. The leaders discussed a range of bilateral and regional issues, including the recent aviation tragedy and prospects for deepening Azerbaijan–Russia cooperation.
At the start of the meeting, President Vladimir Putin extended his condolences and once again expressed regret over the aviation tragedy involving an Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft that occurred in Russian airspace last December.
“Dear Ilham Heydarovich,” President Putin said, addressing his Azerbaijani counterpart, “I would like to begin our meeting with the most sensitive topic — the aviation tragedy that occurred in our airspace. I not only apologized for the fact that it happened over Russian skies but also expressed my sincere condolences to the families of the victims. As agreed, we are providing every possible assistance to the investigation, which is nearing completion.”
President Putin elaborated that the investigation had identified several contributing factors, including the presence of Ukrainian drones in Russian airspace on the night of the incident and a technical malfunction in the air defense system, which led to the unintended damage to the aircraft.
He emphasized that Russia would take all necessary measures in accordance with international and national regulations, including compensation and a comprehensive legal assessment of officials’ actions. “Our duty is to provide an objective assessment of everything that happened and identify the true causes,” he affirmed.
Turning to broader bilateral matters, President Putin noted that, despite the tragedy, Azerbaijan–Russia relations continue to strengthen across multiple domains. “Our trade and economic ties have developed successfully. Last year, trade grew by around 6 percent, and this year, turnover has already increased by more than 16 percent. This is a very good indicator,” he stated.
He further underlined the importance of continued coordination between the two countries’ foreign ministries and reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to implementing the provisions of the Declaration on Allied Interaction signed between the two nations.
In his remarks, President Ilham Aliyev thanked President Putin for his condolences and for providing detailed information on the investigation. “We were in immediate contact on that tragic day,” he recalled. “I called you directly from my plane to express condolences and explain that I would not be able to attend the informal CIS summit. I appreciate your personal attention and oversight of the investigation, which has ensured that all circumstances are being established objectively.”
President Aliyev also reaffirmed the positive trajectory of bilateral cooperation. “Our relations have developed successfully this year not only in trade and economic areas but across all fields,” he noted. “The roadmaps we approved are being effectively implemented, and the recent meeting of the Azerbaijan–Russia Intergovernmental Commission discussed a wide range of issues in detail.”
Concluding the meeting, both presidents expressed satisfaction with the constructive dialogue and reiterated their commitment to further strengthening the strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Russia in political, economic, and humanitarian spheres.
