AZE.US
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov called the December 2024 crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight from Baku to Grozny a shared tragedy during talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Oct. 10.
Kadyrov again offered condolences to the victims’ families and said Chechnya sincerely shared the grief of the Azerbaijani people, according to Azerbaijan’s state news agency AZERTAC.
Aliyev said that although Kadyrov’s visit was brief, he expected it to produce useful results. He pointed to historical ties, friendship and cooperation between the Azerbaijani and Chechen peoples.
No New Crash Agreement Announced
Azerbaijan Airlines Flight J2-8243 crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Dec. 25, 2024, after diverting from its planned Baku-Grozny route. Thirty-eight of the 67 people aboard were killed and 29 survived.
Aliyev later said the aircraft had been damaged by shooting from the ground while in Russian airspace. The exact circumstances have remained the subject of an international investigation. The cause of the crash and the investigation were not publicly discussed in detail at the Oct. 10 meeting, and neither side announced a new agreement on the case.
Karabakh, Sports and Baku White City
Kadyrov also congratulated Azerbaijan on the resolution of the Karabakh issue and expressed confidence that peace and stability would be maintained in the region.
The two sides discussed sports cooperation. Kadyrov referred to the Olympic judo training center named after Russian President Vladimir Putin in Chechnya and said joint sporting events would be useful.
After the meeting, Aliyev and Kadyrov visited the Baku White City project, where the Chechen leader was shown the transformation of a former industrial zone into a modern residential district.
The meeting was first reported in Russian by Vesti Baku. Background on the crash was independently reported by Reuters.