Official Baku Rejects Moscow's Demands: Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry

The spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry's press service misrepresented the arrest of 13 Russian citizens in Azerbaijan as a cause for the deterioration of Azerbaijani-Russian relations, and their release as a condition for improving ties. This was stated by the head of the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Aykhan Hajizade.

According to him, the tension in Azerbaijani-Russian relations was precisely due to the crash of an AZAL aircraft and the subsequent behavior of Russian officials. He added, 'Furthermore, the persecution of Azerbaijanis in Russia due to their ethnic background, as well as the beating and murder of Azerbaijanis in Yekaterinburg, have created additional tensions in the relationship. Additionally, the actions of various Russian state bodies against Azerbaijan are factors negatively affecting the relationship.'