Ukrainian general Peter Polyakh, who led the investigation into the crash of an Azerbaijani plane carrying humanitarian assistance to Armenia after the earthquake in 1988, has cast light on his conversation with an Azeri journalist.

“Journalist who introduced himself as Bahram Batiyev, started asking questions about that incident, specifically whether the plane was shot down. It was clear that he wanted to hear something that never took place. I told him that plane was not shot down and asked to call me another day, as it was a mobile call and I could not hear him properly,” general Polyakh said.

“Later and I learned that my “interview” was published without any coordination with me,” he added. “It’s an improper practice to present a conversation as an interview. Moreover, I am tied with Armenia and could never say things the journalist wrote.”

On July 15, 2010, Vesti.az portal published a fabricated interview with general Polyakh, containing offending language as regards the Armenian people and some comments on the Karabakh conflict, Analitika.at.ua reported.