Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev holding talks in Dushanbe

A one-on-one meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has commenced in Tajikistan's Dushanbe.

The meeting is being held at the Kokhi Somon residence.

The heads of state entered the negotiation room together. Before beginning their talks, the presidents exchanged a handshake.

At the beginning of their talks, Vladimir Putin proposed to Ilham Aliyev to discuss the situation regarding the AZAL airline crash. The Russian president reiterated his apology for the tragedy having occurred in Russian airspace. The Russian leader expressed his most sincere condolences to the families of the crash victims. The head of the Russian state also noted that, in accordance with existing agreements, Russia is providing comprehensive assistance to the investigation.

Putin said that the air disaster was linked to the presence of a Ukrainian UAV in the airspace at the time, and that, overall, Russia had been tracking three Ukrainian UAVs that day which had previously crossed its border. The Russian president indicated that two missiles launched by the Russian air defense system did not hit the AZAL plane directly; they detonated several meters away from it. Putin clarified that the AZAL aircraft was apparently struck by debris from the explosions, not by the missiles' primary warheads.

The Russian President said that the crew of the AZAL flight was instructed to land in Makhachkala, but they decided to continue to their home airport.

Putin said the causes of the crash became clear after a thorough analysis of the incident. He assured that Russia would conduct a legal assessment of the actions of all officials involved in connection with the crash. Speaking about compensation, Putin noted that Russia would do everything that is required in such tragic cases. The Russian leader also said that it would take time to finally bring closure to this situation.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude for this information. He also spoke about the Russian-Azerbaijani agenda, describing it as "quite extensive and positive."

The Russian leader reported that he had been informed of the causes of the AZAL aircraft crash - which he relayed to Ilham Aliyev today - only two days ago. Prior to the meeting, the Russian President made a call to Moscow to check if any additional details had emerged.

In addition, Vladimir Putin said that Russian-Azerbaijani trade and economic relations are developing positively. He noted that the interests of Russia and Azerbaijan coincide in many areas, and that Russia will take all necessary measures to maintain the positive momentum in the development of Moscow-Baku relations. The Russian leader also acknowledged Ilham Aliyev's contributions to strengthening humanitarian ties between the two countries.

Ilham Aliyev once again congratulated Vladimir Putin on his birthday. He also wished all the best to the Russian leader and the friendly people of Russia.

Yesterday, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev will hold talks in Dushanbe on October 9. Today he noted that the Kremlin is optimistic about the leaders' meeting. Peskov noted that the leaders of Russia and Azerbaijan will discuss challenging topics during their talks.