Baku summons Iranian envoy over alleged provocation by military plane

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
11 Mar 2023 20:34

This comes in light of deteriorated relations between the two countries.

Iran’s ambassador to Azerbaijan Abbas Mousavi. (Wikimedia Commons)

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian Ambassador in Baku on Saturday over the alleged provocation that the IRGC flew a military aircraft in close proximity to the two countries borders, Azerbaijan's foreign and defense ministries said in a joint statement.

The release states that an Iranian military aircraft made a non-stop flight from 09:44 a.m. to 10:26 a.m. local time (05:44–06:26 GMT) "at a distance of 3-5 km [1.8-3.1 miles] from the state border, and in some cases over the state border."

"We strongly condemn the Iranian side for such a provocative step, urge them to provide an appropriate explanation and refrain from such confrontational steps in the future. On March 11, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Republic of Azerbaijan Seyyed Abbas Mousavi was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and was presented with a corresponding note of protest," as per the statement.

Baku further pointed out that flyovers of military aircraft in close proximity to and above state borders pose a risk to the safety of civil aviation and result in deteriorating bilateral relations.

Relations between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan have witnessed complications in recent years, but with the attack on the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Tehran, things have become more complicated and sensitive.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev described the attack as a “terrorist act” and demanded an immediate investigation.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stated at the time that the attack on the Embassy is not considered a terrorist attack because the perpetrator had personal motives to commit the crime.

"As of the beginning of the incident and the spread of news about it, President Ebrahim Raeisi issued strict orders for legal and judiciary surveys and severe dealing with anyone who has possibly neglected their duties, or need to be introduced to the judiciary system, including the attacker himself."

A concrete manifestation of these tensions is reflected in the fact that "Israel" provided nearly 70% of all the major arms imports that Azerbaijan's military was buying out.