On February 26, Jeyhun Bayramov, the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, emphasized that Azerbaijan's stance on the AZAL plane crash remains firm and principled, attributing the incident to an error by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Speaking at the "Mother's Cry" monument on the 34th anniversary of the Khojaly massacre, Bayramov stressed that Russia must fulfill the commitments made by Vladimir Putin during his meeting with the President of Azerbaijan in October 2025. "The plane was shot down due to an error by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Our expectation is that the Russian side will take all necessary actions, provide a legal assessment of the incident, and issue compensation," he stated.

During his visit to the monument, Bayramov also addressed questions regarding the World Urban Forum (WUF13), scheduled to take place in Baku from May 17 to 22, 2026. He noted that he has no information on whether Armenia has been invited to the forum, which Azerbaijan is hosting jointly with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). "For the first time, a Leaders' Summit will be held as part of the forum. Naturally, the event has its own format, and invitations are issued in accordance with that format. Not all world leaders will participate—only countries needing support in urbanization matters are invited. As for whether Armenia has been invited, I do not have that information," Bayramov emphasized.

Bayramov further highlighted Azerbaijan's rapid development and efforts to promote peace in the South Caucasus. He recalled that under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, the Azerbaijani people and army took decisive steps to liberate their lands. "Everyone has seen that in the peace process with Armenia, all initiatives came from Azerbaijan. We are taking serious steps, and significant results are already evident," he stated.

The minister also underscored the importance of preserving historical memory and the necessity of remembering past tragedies. "We cannot forget our history. Therefore, today's anniversary is of great significance for our people. The people of Azerbaijan honor the memory of the victims of this tragedy," Bayramov concluded.