Azerbaijan, Iran discuss restoration of Baku's Embassy in Tehran

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Azerbaijan and Iran discussed Tuesday the restoration of Baku's Embassy in Tehran after a January 2023 attack on the mission killed its security head and injured two others.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov held talks with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The meeting on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers' extraordinary meeting touched on bilateral and regional issues between the two countries, as well as the current situation in the region, it said.

It said Amir-Abdollahian offered congratulations on the reelection of President Ilham Aliyev last month and expressed the significance of the election considering it was held in "the entirety of territories of Azerbaijan."

"Ministers also discussed the restoration of the operation of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan following the court decision against the person who committed the terror attack against the Azerbaijani Embassy," it said.

It also said that Bayramov informed his counterpart about the "current regional situation" and the "current state and prospects" of the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

"During the discussions, it was emphasized that efforts by certain states to arm Armenia and Armenia involving third parties that do not serve peace and stability in the region posed a threat to the peace process,” it said.

Relations between Iran and Azerbaijan have seen ups and downs over the years, with tensions spiraling after the attack on the Embassy in the Iranian capital.

Azerbaijan decided to evacuate the embassy and airlift all diplomatic staff in a special plane following the attack.