Moscow calls upon Azerbaijani ambassador
(MENAFN)
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has summoned Azerbaijani Ambassador Rakhman Mustafaev following the detention of three Russian journalists in Baku. The detained individuals include two senior editors from Sputnik and one journalist from the Ruptly news agency, all of whom were taken into custody by Azerbaijani authorities on Monday.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has summoned Azerbaijani Ambassador Rakhman Mustafaev following the detention of three Russian journalists in Baku. The detained individuals include two senior editors from Sputnik and one journalist from the Ruptly news agency, all of whom were taken into custody by Azerbaijani authorities on Monday.
Tensions between Moscow and Baku have escalated in recent days, partly due to a police raid in Yekaterinburg, Russia, which targeted members of the Azerbaijani diaspora.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that the Azerbaijani ambassador was summoned in response to what she called Baku’s “hostile actions” and the “unlawful detention” of Russian citizens. Zakharova also highlighted that Russian diplomats had been unable to make contact with the detained journalists.
Dmitry Kiselev, head of the Rossiya Segodnya media group, which operates Sputnik, described the arrests as unjust and claimed there had been no issues with Sputnik’s activities in Azerbaijan. He noted that discussions had previously taken place between Russian and Azerbaijani officials to resolve regulatory matters, but Baku had not followed through.
Kiselev criticized the treatment of the journalists by Azerbaijani authorities, saying they were handled “as if they were terrorists,” which he said was inconsistent with the supposedly friendly ties between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Sputnik confirmed that its Baku bureau’s chief Igor Kartavykh and Editor-in-Chief Evgeny Belousov were arrested and accused of working for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), a claim dismissed by the outlet as baseless. A third journalist from Ruptly was also later reported detained.
The diplomatic fallout comes after Russian law enforcement last week raided an alleged Azerbaijani criminal group in Yekaterinburg, resulting in multiple arrests and two deaths. Russian investigators say the group is linked to a series of murders dating back to the early 2000s.
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