Azerbaijani embassy staff successfully evacuated from Iran

The evacuation of the employees of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Iran, their families and our colleagues, who were injured in the terrorist attack against the embassy, was completed.

A plane carrying evacuated employees of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Iran landed at about 22:00 (GMT+4) at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku. This plane has delivered the embassy staff, members of their families, the two wounded employees, as well as the body of martyr Orkhan Asgarov to Azerbaijan. In honor of the deceased Orkhan Asgarov, a guard of honor has lined up.

The victims of the terrorist attack at the Azerbaijani Embassy in Iran were taken away by ambulances.

Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov said that Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tehran has suspended its work. "We have completely suspended the embassy’s diplomatic activities," he said, adding that five embassy employees are staying in Tehran to protect the building and the embassy’s property. "But they will not be engaged in diplomatic activities," he explained.

According to the diplomat, Azerbaijan’s consulate general in Tabriz will continue to operate routinely.

Why staff was evacuated

Khalafov said that Baku had told Tehran it did not trust Iran in what concerns the embassy’s security. "We informed the Iranian side about threats to Azerbaijan’s diplomatic missions. We demanded the Iranian authorities tighten security measures. The incident that took place the day before yesterday shows that Iran has ignored these demands," he said.

A plane with the evacuated personnel of the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran landed in Baku on Sunday evening. This decision followed the January 27 attack on the country’s embassy in Tehran, killing a security officer and wounding two more.