Kazakhstan calls previously published transcript of AZAL pilots' conversations incomplete
The "full transcript of the conversations" of the pilots of the crashed Azerbaijan Airlines plane that was circulated online differs from the contents of the black boxes. The corresponding statement was made the day before by Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Kanat Bozumbayev, who heads the commission investigating the plane crash, according to the local publication Orda.kz.
 
During his speech at a press conference in the government of Kazakhstan, the Deputy Prime Minister suggested that the recordings of ground services, and not on-board recording devices, could have leaked onto the Internet.
 
"The black box contains all the conversations conducted by the captain, pilot and crew members. They are a little larger," Bozumbayev noted.
 
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the authorities do not intend to initiate a criminal case due to the leak.
 
"Why look for the source of the leak if we don't consider it a leak of black box transcripts? The fact that someone has published something on the Internet does not mean that it is the truth. There is a big difference from the contents of the black boxes," the Kazakh official explained.
 
He added that the preliminary results of the investigation into the AZAL plane crash will be published next week.
 
Recall that in mid-January, the Baza Telegram channel published a "full transcript of the conversations" between the pilots of the crashed Embraer 190 and the dispatchers of the airports of Grozny, Rostov-on-Don and Aktau. No official confirmed the accuracy of the published data. The aforementioned Telegram channel responded to Kanat Bozumbayev's statement yesterday with the remark that the published material was not positioned as a transcript of the contents of the black boxes.
 
In addition, yesterday the Caliber.Az publication reported, citing its reliable sources, that the investigation into the air crash confirmed that the plane was shot down by the Russian Pantsir S-1 air defense system. It is noted that this system was delivered to Russia from Syria. Also, according to the publication, the Russian investigation confirmed the use of electronic warfare systems against the Azerbaijani plane, which led to the failure of the aircraft control system.
 
The investigation in Russia has established not only the person who opened fire on the civilian plane, but also the person who gave the order. Moreover, our editorial staff already knows the names and ranks of these people, and we will definitely share this information with readers at the right time.
 
"The investigation in Russia has established not only the person who opened fire on the civilian plane, but also the person who gave the order. Moreover, our editorial staff already knows the names and ranks of these people, and we will definitely share this information with readers at the right time.
 
In the meantime, we appeal to the Kremlin officials: rest assured, we already know the names and ranks of the military directly responsible for the tragedy. Of course, you can continue to adhere to the line of concealing the truth, effectively becoming accomplices to the crime. Or you can act honorably, without delaying the process, and admit responsibility for the tragedy,” writes Caliber.Az.
 
Today marks exactly one month since the high-profile air crash. On December 25, an Embraer plane of the Azerbaijan Airlines, flying from Baku to Grozny, crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan. There were 67 people on board, of which 42 were citizens of Azerbaijan, 16 of Russia, 6 of Kazakhstan, and 3 of Kyrgyzstan. 29 passengers survived. The causes of the crash were not officially announced, but the next day, a number of sources reported that, according to preliminary data, the airliner was shot down by the Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense system. The Russian side, however, put forward different versions of what happened, for which it was reproached by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who demanded an admission of guilt, punishment of the perpetrators and payment of compensation.
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