Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry Seeks Clarification from Russia

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan has commented on the information regarding the detention of Milli Majlis deputy Azar Badamov at a Moscow airport. The ministry confirmed the incident.

"Yes, this really took place today. It should be noted that the delegation's visit, which includes Milli Majlis deputy Azar Badamov, was organized at the invitation of Denis Afanasyev, the Deputy Governor and Head of Government of Russia's Astrakhan region. Despite the fact that the delegation departed from Baku for Moscow, the Russian side detained deputy Azar Badamov at the Moscow airport without any prior warning or notification, declaring that he was banned from entering the country. After being held for some time at the Moscow airport, he was returned to our country.

In this regard, immediate contact was established with the Russian Foreign Ministry through our embassy in Russia, and the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the matter would be reviewed, but did not provide any explanation for the reasons behind this decision. We consider this decision by the Russian side as an unfriendly step and await clarification from Russia on this issue," the statement from Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry read.