Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated his main advice for Ukraine is to never accept occupation. He emphasized recognizing Crimea and other Ukrainian territories with Russian forces as occupied and called on Ukraine to fight to restore its territorial integrity.
Aliyev announced Azerbaijan is preparing documents for an international lawsuit against Russia regarding the shooting down of the Azerbaijani passenger plane. He criticized Russia for not taking responsibility for the catastrophe and advancing, in his opinion, an unfounded theory regarding involvement of a Ukrainian drone.
The president noted Azerbaijan has been waiting for a response from Russia for six months regarding the investigation and only receives notifications that it is ongoing. Aliyev stressed Azerbaijan will not forget this tragedy and is ready to seek justice for as long as necessary.
He also compared the downing of the Azerbaijani plane with the Malaysian Boeing shot over Donbas, noting that justice should prevail even if it takes years.
Additionally, Aliyev criticized Russia's attempts to annex Ukrainian territories and stressed the importance of a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which would further reduce Russia's influence in the Caucasus. The president suggested that, due to the war in Ukraine, Russia currently lacks resources for aggressive actions elsewhere. He also emphasized that Azerbaijan's firm statements could influence future relations with Moscow.
