The Press Service of the President of Azerbaijan has issued a statement regarding the recent AZAL plane crash.

President Ilham Aliyev, who was en route to the Russian Federation to participate in the informal summit of CIS heads of state in St. Petersburg, was informed of the incident while in Russian airspace. Upon learning about the crash, the President immediately instructed his flight to return to Azerbaijan.

While still on the plane, President Aliyev issued directives to relevant state bodies to thoroughly investigate the causes of the accident and take urgent measures.

The President is personally overseeing all matters related to the crash.