While on a flight, President Ilham Aliyev called Russian President Vladimir Putin.

During the conversation, President Aliyev informed President Putin that, due to the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane traveling from Baku to Grozny, he would not be able to attend the informal summit of CIS heads of state in St. Petersburg and would be returning immediately.

The two leaders expressed their condolences to one another over the crash, which involved citizens from Azerbaijan, Russia, and other countries. They also shared their sympathy with the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.