On Saturday, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador because of an incident with a military aircraft. The department called the flight of an aircraft along the border of the two countries a provocation and handed a note of protest to the diplomat.
This morning, the Iranian ambassador was summoned to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry after a provocation involving an Iranian military aircraft. Seyyed Abbas Mousavi was handed a note of protest, the Azerbaijani Foreign and Defense Ministries inform.
The joint statement of the ministries reads that on March 11, an Iranian-owned military aircraft cruised for almost 40 minutes along the border of the two countries, from Zangilan to Bilasuvar region and in the opposite direction. The plane flew at a distance of 3-5 kilometers from the border, sometimes directly above the border.
The ministries draw attention to the fact that in order to carry out such flights, Iran, according to international practice, should have warned Azerbaijan about its plans in advance. The Foreign and Defense Ministries explained that the plane threatened the safety of civil aviation. According to the departments, such incidents could lead to further aggravation in relations between Baku and Tehran.
In addition, the ministries called a provocation the flight of a military aircraft lasting more than 30 minutes near the lands liberated from occupation.
The statement reads that Azerbaijan condemns the Islamic Republic for this unfriendly step, and also asks Tehran to explain its actions and refrain from such provocations in the future.
The previous year, Iran held large-scale military exercises near the border with Azerbaijan, and in early 2023, an armed attack was carried out on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran.
