BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 30. Investigations are ongoing into the criminal case related to the crash of an AZAL Embraer 190 aircraft on December 25, which was en route from Baku to Grozny and went down near Aktau, said Azerbaijan's General Prosecutor's Office, Trend reports.
"Following the instructions of President Ilham Aliyev, General Prosecutor Kamran Aliyev has been in constant contact since the incident with the General Prosecutor of Kazakhstan, Berik Asylov, the General Prosecutor of Russia, Igor Krasnov, Chairman of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin, and the General Prosecutor of Brazil, Paulo Gonetti.
To ensure a thorough, objective, and comprehensive investigation into the incident, extensive investigative actions were carried out at the scene, involving professional investigators and specialists from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Brazil.
During talks with his Kazakh counterpart, Berik Asylov, Kamran Aliyev expressed his gratitude for the full support provided throughout the site inspection, the collection of preliminary evidence, and the investigation of other key aspects of the case. He also highlighted the joint efforts to conduct necessary investigative and procedural actions to uncover all the details of the incident.
In a conversation with Russia's Prosecutor General, Igor Krasnov, the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General emphasized that Azerbaijani prosecutors sent to Grozny received the required assistance from their Russian colleagues. He stressed the importance of effective cooperation in the criminal investigation and the exchange of evidence collected by both sides.
Russian Investigative Committee Chairman, Alexander Bastrykin, in a call to Kamran Aliyev, assured that a special investigative team had been formed to ensure a thorough and objective investigation into the criminal case. He emphasized that the circumstances and causes of the incident, including the plane crash resulting from external factors, are being carefully examined. Ongoing intensive investigative and operational efforts aim to identify those responsible and hold them accountable.
The Prosecutor General's Office will continue to provide regular updates to the public on the progress of the investigation, according to the department's statement," the statement reads.