‘Lack of humanity’: Why Azerbaijan is offended with Russia over aircraft crash – INA NEWS

With Azerbaijan in mourning this week over the Christmas Day aircraft crash that claimed 38 lives, political scientist Farhad Mammadov’s thoughts raced again to November 2020.

Then, on the final day of the warfare between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh area, Azerbaijan shot down a Russian helicopter close to its border, whereas it was in Armenian airspace.

“Instantly, the president of Azerbaijan known as the president of Russia, took the blame for himself, for the nation, introduced an apology, after which there was the punishment of the responsible and the fee of compensation,” mentioned Mammadov, who’s the director of the Baku-based Heart for Research of the South Caucasus.

4 years later, the roles have reversed — nearly.

On December 25, Azerbaijan Airways Flight 8243 took off from Baku certain for Grozny in Chechnya, with 67 passengers and crew onboard. Because the aircraft neared Grozny in Russian airspace, it appeared to have come beneath hearth from the bottom and altered course east, crashing close to Aktau in western Kazakhstan. Solely 29 individuals survived.

Though Russian officers at first speculated that the aircraft hit a flock of birds or an oxygen tank onboard exploded, the injury appeared according to that from surface-to-air missiles utilized by the Russian air defence. On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin apologised for the “tragic incident” however didn’t instantly take accountability on Russia’s behalf, claiming Ukrainian drones had been within the space.

Nevertheless, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has demanded that Russia formally settle for accountability and pay compensation to the survivors — reflecting the anger in Azerbaijan over Moscow’s dealing with of the disaster, and the expectation that Putin be as upfront about what occurred as Aliyev was in 2020.

“Azerbaijan is anticipating the identical now, which now we have not seen but,” mentioned Mammadov. “And if the Russian facet has chosen the trail of partial apology, then we’ll count on subsequent apologies, punishments and compensations on the subsequent phases of the investigation into the continuing case.”

For a lot of in Azerbaijan, it’s not only a query of what hit the aircraft, however how Russia responded to the emergency.

“What makes this example much more appalling is what occurred after the aircraft was shot down,” Leyla, a local of Baku, instructed Al Jazeera. “Touchdown permission in Russian territory was denied. That is probably the most ugly a part of the incident and one thing individuals can not forgive.”

Azerbaijani officers have claimed that the pilots had been denied emergency touchdown permission in Russia, forcing them to vary course to Aktau, throughout the Caspian Sea.

“If the aircraft had been allowed to land in Russia after the error was realised, maybe these lives might have been saved. As an alternative, the aircraft was despatched to Kazakhstan, a call made by heartless, incompetent people,” Leyla added. “This lack of humanity and accountability is what angers and devastates individuals probably the most.”

However might the destiny of Flight 8243 additionally injury Russia’s relations with Azerbaijan?

As a former Soviet republic, relations between oil-rich Azerbaijan and its huge northern neighbour have been difficult – however, not like for instance, the Baltics, not utterly hostile.

Azerbaijan briefly gained independence following the Russian Empire’s collapse on the finish of the First World Battle. However in 1920, the Crimson Military invaded, bringing Azerbaijan again beneath Moscow’s wing for the following seven many years.

The primary few years after Azerbaijan’s independence in 1991 had been marked by suspicion, as two tried coup d’etats in Baku had been backed by the Kremlin. Russia has additionally tried to steadiness pleasant relations with each Azerbaijan and Armenia, with whom Azerbaijan has been in a bitter battle over the disputed area of Nagorno-Karabakh for the reason that late Soviet period. Similtaneously promoting weaponry to either side, Moscow has tried performing as a mediator and deployed peacekeeping troops to Karabakh.

These peacekeeping troops stood again as Azerbaijani forces rapidly overran Karabakh in September final yr, inflicting nearly all the Armenian inhabitants to flee, regardless of Armenia being a fellow member of the Collective Safety Treaty Group (CSTO), a Russia-led NATO-like alliance. Russian peacekeepers lastly withdrew from Karabakh in April this yr as Baku consolidated management.

On the entire, except for the tensions over the aircraft crash, ties between Russia and Azerbaijan are good, mentioned Mammadov. Azerbaijan has not taken sides in Moscow’s warfare on Ukraine and is Russia’s largest buying and selling companion within the South Caucuses, occupying a vital transport route for items travelling to and from Iran. Equally, Moscow issues as an financial companion for Baku.

“As a commerce and financial companion [for Azerbajian]within the first place is Italy, within the second place is Turkey, and within the third place is Russia,” mentioned political scientist and lawmaker Rasim Musabeyov.

“So, on this sense, commerce and financial relations are necessary for Azerbaijan and Russia,” he mentioned. “The vast majority of Azerbaijani planes fly to Russia, no less than earlier than this incident. The most important Russian group within the South Caucasus, about 120,000 Russians, stay right here.” Practically one million Azerbaijanis stay in Russia, he added.

Musabeyov believes that it’s now on Putin to do the fitting factor to assist relations recover from the hit they’ve taken from the aircraft crash.

Putin’s apology, he mentioned, “needs to be adopted by an evaluation of this incident, the offender punished, and compensation paid”.

“Azerbaijan isn’t all in favour of worsening relations with Russia,” Musabeyov mentioned.