We Would Like to Hear Concrete Explanations: Russian Foreign Ministry to Azerbaijan

The Russian Foreign Ministry has responded to a statement from the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, which had reacted to the Russian Foreign Ministry's condemnation of the ban on the entry of Russian citizens of Armenian descent into Azerbaijan.

In its statement, the Russian side drew attention to the nature of the Azerbaijani partners' response, which clearly violates the norms of diplomatic ethics. The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed surprise regarding the Azerbaijani side's demand to not 'escalate' the issue, noting that this raises doubts.

“We have taken note of the response from the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry’s press service. It should be noted that the tone of the commentary goes beyond the framework of diplomatic ethics. It is less than comprehensible that the demand from Baku to not 'escalate' the topic of discrimination against Russian citizens traveling to Azerbaijan is made. Such an approach is, of course, unacceptable. Protecting the interests and rights of Russian citizens is one of our foreign policy's absolute priorities. At the same time, the existence of bilateral friendly relations in any particular country is generally considered a stimulating factor for the constructive resolution of such issues,” the Russian Foreign Ministry's statement reads.