Foreign Ministry issues statement on first anniversary of terror attack against Azerbaijani Embassy in Iran AZERTAC News
Day: January 27, 2024
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Azerbaijan will restore its Embassy in Iran while ensuring the completion of the investigation of the terrorist attack against the diplomatic mission and guaranteeing the safety of its functioning. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov told reporters today.
The Minister visited the grave of the security officer of the Azerbaijani Embassy…
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has turned into yet another tool for settling political scores and putting pressure on the disagreeable, noted the Russian political expert and head of expert-analytical network PolitRus, Vitaly Arkov, while commenting on the anti-Azerbaijani mechanism launched in PACE, in response to which the Azerbaijani delegation decided to stop any interaction with this organization and its presence in it until further notice, according to Azerbaijan in Focus, reporting AzerTac.
“We welcome Azerbaijan’s withdrawal from PACE, a structure that has long ceased to meet its stated goals and objectives, turning into yet another tool for settling political scores and putting pressure on those who do not want to become puppets of the United States and countries that have taken over the European Union – first it was Germany, but after the change of “steel” Chancellor Angela Merkel for the “plush” Olaf Scholz, France took over the levers,” the expert has told the agency.
Recalling that Russia had dropped out of PACE in March 2022, he emphasized that Moscow had done so with regret over not having done it earlier in the hope that it could persuade the so-called partners to return to the raison d’être of this association.
“PACE, which was established in a distant 1949 (then it was the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe), positioned itself as a depoliticized structure designed to become a humanitarian and legal pillar of Greater Europe from Lisbon to Vladivostok. Azerbaijan realized what has become of it and made a wise decision. There are enough interstate associations in the Eurasian space and the world as a whole where members respect each other and work out solutions to common problems in a collegial manner. Azerbaijan acts as one of the ‘initiators’ of a number of such associations, putting truly relevant issues onto the current agenda,” the expert stated.
According to Arkov, the relations between Baku and the supra-European structures in Brussels and Strasbourg have long become difficult – the time of “political infatuation” quickly passed. Azerbaijan has taken off its rose glasses, while Europe has dropped its masks. “Every time Azerbaijan declared the need for Armenia to fulfill its commitments and restore its territorial integrity, it received the obviously mendacious accusations of trampling on the foundations of democracy, political repression, etc. Azerbaijan has recently been labeled as an aggressor state and attempts have been made to impose sanctions on it only because it “ventured” to regain control over its historical lands that had remained under Armenian occupation for 30 years. And for all these 30 years, none of the supra-European structures put forward any demands for punishing the real aggressor and occupier,” Arkov added.
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement on the first anniversary of the terror attack against the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Islamic Republic of Iran, according to Azerbaijan in Focus, reporting AzerTac.
The statement reads as follows:
“On 27 January 2024, one year has passed since the terror attack against the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
As a result of the terror attack, one embassy employee lost his life, while two others suffered numerous injuries. Following the incident, Embassy staff members and their families were evacuated due to the grave risk posed to their lives and safety.
Against the backdrop of the terror attack in the Embassy, Iranian side as the host State, failing to protect the Embassy building against any forms of intrusion and to guarantee the safety of its staff, did not fulfill its obligations under the “Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”
Following the terror act, many countries and international organizations issued statements strongly condemning the terror act and stating that the attack on diplomatic missions in international relations is unacceptable.
In order to overcome the situation between Azerbaijan and Iran emerged in connection with the terror attack, to punish those involved in the preparation and execution of the aforementioned terror act in the harshest way, and provide full guarantee of the Embassy’s security, regular contacts between officials and relevant bodies of the two countries have been continued, expectations of Azerbaijan have been communicated over the past year. Iranian side have regularly updated Azerbaijan regarding the actions taken during the investigation, and following a protracted investigation, the first court hearing of the terrorist was set for 27 January 2024.
As we commemorate the first anniversary of the terror attack against the Embassy, we offer our sincere condolences to the relatives of our Martyr, once again strongly condemn this attack, and expect that Iran will immediately take result-oriented steps to prevent such kind of actions from happening in future.”
The post First anniversary of terror attack against Azerbaijani Embassy in Iran appeared first on Azerbaijan In Focus.
The U.S. State Department finally approved the long-delayed $23 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets and modernization kits to Türkiye on Friday, sending formal notification to Congress, shortly after Ankara approved the NATO membership of Sweden, according to Azerbaijan in Focus, reporting Daily Sabah.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security of the United States by improving the air capabilities and interoperability of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Ally that is a force for political and economic stability in Europe,” the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement.
“The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region,” it said.
The approval came after Türkiye submitted documents related to Sweden’s NATO membership protocol after it was ratified Tuesday by the Turkish Parliament.
Türkiye submitted a request to the U.S. in October 2021 to purchase 40 new F-16 Block 70 aircraft, as well as 79 modernization kits to upgrade its remaining F-16s to Block 70 level.
The request includes 32 F-16 C Block 70 aircraft, 8 F-16 D Block 70 aircraft, 48 F110-GE-129D engines, as well as 119 for the modernization program – 79 installed, 40 spares.
The State Department informally notified Congress last January of the F-16 fighter jet sale but key lawmakers on Capitol Hill have vowed to nix the deal because of several demands, including making the purchase contingent on Ankara’s approval of Sweden’s NATO membership bid.
Congress has the right to object to the State Department’s determination within 15 business days for sale approvals granted to NATO members, including Türkiye, a member of the alliance for more than 70 years.
Senate Foreign Relations Chair Ben Cardin said in a statement Friday that he would permit the sale after Ankara’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership bid.
Sen. Jim Risch, ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said in late October that he would drop his objection to the sale after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave a greenlight to Sweden’s bid to join NATO.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul and House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory Meeks released statements that said that they approved the sale to Türkiye.
The State Department also notified Congress on Friday on the $8.6 billion possible sale of 40 F-35 aircraft and related equipment to Greece.
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“Under the state program on Great Return, more than 100,000 people will be relocated to Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur in the next three years,” Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the Russian Federation Polad Bulbuloglu said in an interview with TASS, according to Azerbaijan in Focus, reporting AzerTac.
“The return of internally displaced persons to their native lands is implemented as part of the State Program on Great Return to the liberated territories of Azerbaijan. In general, more than 100,000 people are expected to be relocated to Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur regions in the next three years,” the ambassador noted.
Polad Bulbuloglu emphasized that the liberation of Azerbaijani territories from occupation created new realities not only for Azerbaijan, but also for the entire region.
Highlighting the large-scale restoration works carried out in Azerbaijan’s liberated territories over the past three years, the ambassador said: “Significant financial resources have so far been allocated from the national budget to that end. This is a unique and unparalleled model of swift post-conflict reconstruction implemented by the state at the expense of its own financial resources.”
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