The fact that the fuselage (the crashed plane - ed.) was covered with holes completely removed the hypothesis of a collision with a flock of birds from the agenda, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with Azerbaijani television.
He noted with regret that "some circles in Russia preferred to stick to this option".
"We were upset and surprised by the fact that the Russian official structures presented versions of the explosion of a gas cylinder. In other words, they openly showed that the Russian side wants to cover up the issue, and that, of course, does not bring honor to anyone."
Emphasizing that, of course, the Azerbaijani plane was not deliberately shot down, the country's president said that admitting the fault, immediately apologizing to Azerbaijan, which is considered a friendly country, and informing the public about it were the measures and steps that should have been taken.
"Unfortunately, in the first three days, we heard nothing from Russia, except delusional versions," said Aliyev.
