Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry Appeals to Russia

The accusations made in statements by the spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian embassy in Azerbaijan on July 2 regarding the alleged use of physical force by law enforcement against Russian citizens visiting our country and their family members, as well as the fact that Baku is not responding to official inquiries from Moscow regarding consular assistance for arrested Russian citizens, are unfounded. This was reported by Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry.

“The official position of the Azerbaijani side has been published regarding the arrested members of groups as well as Russian citizens working in the 'Sputnik-Azerbaijan' branch engaged in illegal activities in our country. Concerning consular assistance, inquiries received from the Russian side directed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on June 30 and July 1 were promptly forwarded to the relevant state body, and information regarding the identity of the arrested individuals and the authorized body conducting the investigation was provided to the Russian side in accordance with Article 39, Paragraph 1 of the Consular Convention between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation. In general, the timelines for discussing inquiries in accordance with the Convention are known to the Russian side.

It should be noted that Azerbaijan has never disclosed or politicized the fact that responses to our repeated requests to organize consular meetings with our citizens detained in correctional facilities in various Russian cities have been delayed by the Russian side for weeks. Taking into account the above, we urge the Russian side to refrain from actions and statements that artificially exacerbate the situation,” the statement concluded.