Azerbaijani embassy evacuated from Tehran

Baku/29.01.23/Turan: Late on Sunday evening, a special flight arrived in Baku from Tehran with employees of the Azerbaijani Embassy and their families. The same plane delivered the body of Orkhan Askerov, head of the security service of the embassy, who died as a result of the terrorist attack on January 27.

At the airport, the mission was met by Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov. He told reporters that five people remained at the embassy in Tehran, who perform technical functions and are not diplomats. At the same time, the Azerbaijani consulate in Tabriz continues to operate, where Azerbaijani citizens in Iran can apply, Khalafov said.

He called it "absurd" the Iranian side's statement that the terrorist's "family problems" were the reason for the January 27 attack on the embassy.

"We demand that the Iranian side conduct an objective investigation and punish all those responsible," Khalafov said.

He repeated that Baku has repeatedly appealed to official Tehran with a call to ensure the security of the embassy, but the Iranian authorities ignored these appeals. -02B-