Following the downing of the Azerbaijan Airlines civilian jet, Baku expects Moscow to fulfill a number of key conditions to restore normal relations between the countries. This was stated by Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmat Hajiyev in an interview with EU Today.

According to him, the Azerbaijani side insists on an official apology from Russia, a thorough investigation into the incident, prosecution of those responsible for the plane crash, and compensation for the victims. Hajiyev emphasized that once these conditions are met, Azerbaijan is ready to "turn the page" in bilateral relations and continue constructive cooperation with Russia based on good-neighborliness.

Relations between Moscow and Baku deteriorated last year following the downing of an Azerbaijani passenger jet, for which Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev blamed Russia. It was discovered that the plane was shot down by a Russian air defense system near Grozny. This resulted in the death of 38 of the 67 people on board.