“The allegations made by the Press Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Russian Embassy in our country on July 2 that law enforcement agencies allegedly used physical force against Russian citizens visiting Azerbaijan and their family members, as well as that Azerbaijan did not respond to official appeals from Russia regarding the provision of consular support to arrested Russian citizens, are unfounded,” said Aykhan Hajizada, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while commenting on the statements, EDnews reports, citing AZERTAC.

“The official position of the Azerbaijani side regarding the groups detained and arrested in Azerbaijan, as well as Russian citizens working in the “Sputnik-Azerbaijan” branch operating illegally in our country, has been publicly communicated.

Regarding the issue of consular support, the appeals of the Russian side, received by the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan on June 30 and July 1, were immediately transmitted to the relevant state body, and appropriate information regarding the identity of the arrested persons and the competent authority conducting the investigation was provided to the Russian side in accordance with Article 39, paragraph 1 of the Consular Convention between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation. In general, the Russian side is aware of the period for considering such appeals in accordance with the Convention.

It should be noted that the Azerbaijani side has never publicized and politicized the weeks-long delays in Russia’s responses to our repeated appeals for organizing consular meetings with Azerbaijani citizens detained and held in prisons in various cities of Russia.

Taking into account the abovementioned, we call on the Russian side to refrain from steps and statements that artificially aggravate the situation,” Hajizada emphasized.