Azerbaijan Calls in Russian Ambassador Amid Escalating Tensions
(MENAFN) Azerbaijan escalated tensions with Russia on Wednesday by summoning Ambassador Mikhail Yevdokimov to Baku, following the deadly raid in Yekaterinburg late last month, which claimed the lives of two Azerbaijani nationals while in custody.
According to a statement from Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, Yevdokimov met with Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov, who expressed Baku’s firm rejection of Moscow's explanation surrounding the deaths. The Russian note verbale, presented a day prior, claimed the deaths were unrelated to any "obvious signs of violence" on the bodies of the two individuals, a claim Azerbaijan insists is false.
“It was emphasized that manifestations of ethnic intolerance were observed in the Russian media regarding the raids and that the use of expressions such as ‘ethnic criminal group’ in relation to Azerbaijanis was unacceptable,” the statement read.
The Azerbaijani government also reiterated its demand for a “thorough and objective” investigation into the incident, calling for accountability for those responsible. It dismissed Russia's claim that Azerbaijan was interfering in Russia’s domestic affairs, describing this accusation as “unfounded.”
“It was stated that the Russian side's remarks regarding the measures taken by Azerbaijan at the office of ‘Sputnik-Azerbaijan’ are unfounded,” the statement added.
Azerbaijan also took aim at Russia’s handling of the tragic crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight in Kazakhstan last December, which resulted in the deaths of 38 out of 67 passengers. Baku demanded a full, transparent investigation into the incident, accusing Moscow of distorting the facts surrounding the crash.
“The Russian side was called upon to take appropriate measures to eliminate tension and negative sentiment in bilateral relations between our countries,” the statement concluded.
At the time of publication, Russian authorities had not responded to Azerbaijan's latest diplomatic move.
This diplomatic flare-up follows an intense series of events, including the June 27 police raids in Yekaterinburg that led to the deaths of the two Azerbaijanis, as well as a Monday operation at Sputnik Azerbaijan’s Baku office. That raid resulted in the arrest of the news agency's head and editor-in-chief.
On Tuesday, Russia had already summoned Azerbaijan’s ambassador, lodging a "strong" protest over what it termed "unfriendly" actions by Baku and accusing Azerbaijan of deliberately undermining the bilateral relationship.
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