While on the plane, President Ilham Aliyev made a phone call to President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, SİA reports.
During the phone conversation, President Ilham Aliyev informed his Russian counterpart that, due to the crash of a passenger aircraft belonging to Azerbaijan Airlines, which was flying from Baku to Grozny, he would be unable to attend the informal summit of the heads of state of CIS member countries in St. Petersburg and had decided to return.
The two heads of state expressed their condolences to each other regarding the plane crash, which involved citizens of Azerbaijan, Russia, and other countries. They also extended their sympathy to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.