WNAM MONITORING: Russia on Wednesday accused Azerbaijan of harassing its citizens and detaining journalists, while Baku rejected the claims as “unfounded” and defended its actions under bilateral agreements.
The Russian Embassy in Baku claimed that its citizens in Azerbaijan, including tourists, were visited by plainclothes individuals, with some identifying as police officers, who checked documents, questioned their stay, and in some cases allegedly used “physical force.”
The embassy confirmed the detention of Russian journalists and other citizens and said it had sent diplomatic notes demanding consular access, but had yet to receive a response.
“We are keeping the situation under constant control and taking all necessary measures,” the statement said, urging Russian nationals in Azerbaijan to report similar incidents via its emergency hotline.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also addressed the matter during a briefing, according to the statement.
She said the two Sputnik Azerbaijan journalists—Igor Kartavykh and Yevgeny Belousov—were detained during a raid on the agency’s Baku office on June 30.
“They worked for years without complaints,” Zakharova said, calling their four-month pretrial detention “unjustified.”
“We expect those seeking to spoil our bilateral ties to refrain from further provocations,” she added.
However, Baku firmly denied the accusations, calling them “unfounded.”
In a statement, Aykhan Hajizada, head of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry’s press service, said the detained individuals—linked to Sputnik Azerbaijan—were working illegally in the country, and that Azerbaijan had provided consular information to Moscow in line with the bilateral consular convention.
Hajizada emphasized that Russia was informed about the detained persons and the investigating authorities and accused Moscow of ignoring similar Azerbaijani consular requests in the past.
“We call on the Russian side to refrain from steps and statements that artificially aggravate the situation,” he added.
Earlier, Azerbaijan summoned the Russian ambassador and criticized Moscow’s explanation of the incident, saying it contradicted evidence of violence, and called Russian media coverage of the event “ethnically intolerant.”
Baku also rejected Russia’s claim that actions against Sputnik Azerbaijan were interference in internal affairs, accusing Moscow of distorting facts.
In return, Moscow summoned Azerbaijan’s ambassador, protesting what it described as “unfriendly” and “deliberate” steps against bilateral ties.
