Azerbaijan summons Russian ambassador over attack on SOCAR site in Ukraine

Azerbaijan summoned Russia’s ambassador in Baku, Mikhail Yevdokimov, to protest over what it described as a drone attack on a SOCAR petrol station in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said.

The ministry said Azerbaijan expressed a strong protest during the meeting and handed the Russian side a diplomatic note.

The attack, which took place on the evening of July 5, was not the first such incident, the ministry said. It said SOCAR-owned facilities in Ukraine, including a gas distribution compressor station and an oil depot in Odesa, had previously been hit by military strikes or otherwise damaged during military operations, causing significant material damage and injuries among company employees.

Azerbaijan said the continuation of such incidents, despite repeated warnings, pointed to what it called the targeted nature of the attacks.

The ministry also raised previous air strikes that damaged the buildings of Azerbaijan’s embassy in Kyiv and honorary consulate in Kharkiv, stressing the need to strictly observe obligations under the Vienna Conventions to protect diplomatic and consular premises.

Azerbaijan called on Russia to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incidents, provide explanations and comply with its international obligations to protect civilian facilities and diplomatic missions.

N.Tebrizli