"I can give you one example again from the Second Karabakh War, when on the last day of the war, on the ninth of November, by chance, Azerbaijan shot down a Russian helicopter which had approached the Azerbaijani border, where it shouldn't have been in the first place. Because for 30 years, Russian helicopters had never approached the Azerbaijani border from the territory of Armenia. It was coming from Armenia. So for those who shot it down, it was obvious that an Armenian helicopter was penetrating our territory, so they shot it down. Immediately, on the same day, I called the Russian president and apologized," said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in an interview with Al-Arabiya TV channel, APA reports.
"We immediately paid compensation to the families of those who were killed—the pilots—and to the Ministry of Defense. We started an investigation, and those who made that tragic mistake were brought to justice. We haven't seen anything of that sort from the Russian side. So that tragic event on the ninth of November and our behavior made us absolutely ready to expect the same attitude toward Azerbaijan, because the two countries call themselves friends. But that was a big surprise. So until now, they have not said what happened. So this, of course, is a serious, serious situation in our bilateral relations, but we did not want to aggravate these relations. Yes, our people were disappointed, angry, and frustrated. We were waiting for the investigation, thinking that sooner or later it would come to an end. Then these unmotivated attacks on Azerbaijanis in Russia started. Two people were killed and tortured, and then the official information was that they died of a heart attack. Even if they committed a crime 20 years ago, as they say, they are people. They must not be treated like that. What kind of attitude is that? there were Azerbaijani citizens among them, as well as Russian citizens of Azerbaijani origin. That was an unprecedented act against our people. We are not responsible for the deterioration of relations. We only respond in a constructive and legal manner, but we will never tolerate any sign or demonstration of aggression or disrespect towards us," he noted.
