Expert: Attack on embassy in Iran damaged Azerbaijani-Iranian relations

The attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Iran caused diplomatic damage to the already tense Azerbaijani-Iranian relations, Ahmet Uysal, head of the Ankara-based Center for Middle Eastern Studies (ORSAM), based in Ankara, said.

He reminded that according to reports, Iranian Ambassador to Baku Seyyed Abbas Mousavi was summoned to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, where he was told about the strong condemnation of the armed attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran and the inadmissibility of such acts against diplomatic missions.

"The country in which the mission is located is responsible for protecting it and ensuring the safety of its staff on the basis of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The Iranian authorities should prosecute the perpetrator of the attack as soon as possible, conduct a comprehensive investigation of the terror attack, identify and punish others involved in the organization and commission of the terror attack,” said Ahmet Uysal.

He expressed regret that terror attacks on embassies could happen anywhere in the world: "But the sad truth is that the attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Iran in Tehran revealed the weakness of the intelligence and security services of the host country.”

Uysal reminded that in 2016, demonstrators set fire to the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran and the consulate building in Mashhad. "When the Saudi Arabian embassy in Iran was attacked, some Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, severed diplomatic relations with Iran. The work of the Saudi diplomatic mission in Iran has not yet been resumed,” the expert added.

The head of the center believes that if the host side turns a blind eye to the attack, the reaction of the other may reach a rupture of diplomatic relations.

"Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Khalaf Khalafov said that the Azerbaijani side had decided to evacuate the embassy in Tehran and didn’t trust Iran in terms of ensuring the security of its representative office. He also noted that Azerbaijan would use international mechanisms to investigate the incident. Therefore, the results of the investigation of this terror attack will become the basis for the steps that Azerbaijan will take further, but it is obvious that this attack caused diplomatic damage to the already tense Azerbaijani-Iranian relations,” the expert said.

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