Iran – 'Azerbaijani Citizens Suffer on Both Sides'

Since March 9, Azerbaijani citizen Farid Safarli has been missing in Iran, and there has been no news about his whereabouts for almost 40 days. On March 21, two more Azerbaijani citizens, Vusal Guliyev and Rovshan Seyidov, were also detained in Iran, bringing the total number of Azerbaijani citizens disappeared in Iran to three. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan presented a note to the Iranian Embassy in Baku regarding Safarli's disappearance, but as of now, there has been no response.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry had previously issued a warning to citizens to refrain from visiting Iran after an armed attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran on January 31. The statement had urged Azerbaijani citizens to avoid visiting Iran unless absolutely necessary due to the unstable situation and the terrorist attack against the Azerbaijani diplomatic mission.

Vusal Guliyev's father, Firudin Guliyev, stated to AzadlıqRadio that his son was going to Tabriz for medical treatment. He said, "We live in Nakhchivan. In March, they went to Iran through Turkey. They were arrested there for raising the Azerbaijani flag. They are currently in prison under the custody of Iranian special services." Firudin Guliyev has been unable to hear from his son since March 21 and expressed deep concern. He had written a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan but has not received any updates.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry confirmed  to Turan that there is no news yet regarding these individuals and that an official request has been sent to the Iranian side, and measures are being taken. Elman Nasirov, a member of the Milli Majlis Committee on International Relations and Interparliamentary Relations, highlighted that Azerbaijan-Iran relations are going through a difficult period, citing the recent terrorist attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Iran as evidence. He noted that despite the Azerbaijani government's warnings, some individuals still chose to visit Iran, leading to the current situation. He emphasized that efforts are being made to work with Iranian authorities to locate and secure the release of Azerbaijani citizens, but a satisfactory response has not yet been received from Iran. He urged Azerbaijani citizens to avoid visiting Iran as much as possible.

Political commentator Arastun Orujlu stated to AzadlıqRadio that it was clear from the beginning of the conflict that Azerbaijani citizens would suffer on both sides. He pointed out that this has happened before, where citizens of Azerbaijan are arrested in Azerbaijan under the pretext of being Iranian spies when Azerbaijani-Iranian relations escalate. He believed that it is difficult to prevent such incidents in the current context of Azerbaijani-Iranian relations, as there is a lack of concerted efforts to address the issue. He criticized the lack of real steps being taken and accused Iran of taking Azerbaijani citizens hostage.

The Turan reached out to the Iranian Embassy in Azerbaijan for comment on the situation, but no response was received.