Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov expressed gratitude to the Kazakh government and people for their search and rescue efforts following the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) passenger plane on the Baku-Grozny flight near Aktau on December 25 last year.

Axar.az reports the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister said this during a press briefing following his meeting with Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Nurtleu in Astana.

"I want to express my gratitude to the Kazakh government and the entire Kazakh people for their outstanding search and rescue efforts and for the unwavering support in all matters immediately after the crash," he stated.

He emphasized that the historically strong brotherhood between the Azerbaijani and Kazakh peoples, shared traditions, cultural and linguistic similarities, and the open, sincere relations based on mutual respect and trust between the heads of state form the foundation of bilateral ties.

On December 25, an AZAL passenger jet operating the Baku-Grozny route crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan. Of the 67 people on board, 38 lost their lives, while 29 survived.