Berlin: The Azerbaijani government on Monday said it does not believe Iran can be trusted with security for its embassy in Tehran following the killing of the embassy’s security chief in an armed attack. Baku suspended embassy operations in Tehran, noting that it had repeatedly told Iranian authorities about threats to its mission in the Iranian capital, which it said Tehran ignored.
“Suspension of diplomatic mission’s operations in any country is a serious matter,” Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov said in a statement published by Azertac, the state-run media agency.
“We let the Iranian side know that we do not trust Iran with respect to ensuring security of our embassy’s employees.” Khalafov said his government had repeatedly warned the Iranian government of security threats and demanded tighter security, but the attack “showed once more that Iran’s reaction to our demand was irresponsible.”The attacker used an assault rifle to kill the embassy’s head of security, prompting Azerbaijan to withdraw its diplomatic staff.Observers believe the attack is likely to further strain the already tense relations between the two countries. Iranian media talked about the attacker having a personal motive, but Azerbaijan rejected this, calling it a diversionary tactic. Relations between the two countries, which share a border, have been strained for years. (dpa)
