No:478/22, Information of the Press Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan concerning the shooting of the vehicle that belongs to the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Washington, D.C.
On the night of October 10-11 this year, a fire was opened on a service car of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Washington, D.C. Our diplomatic mission immediately informed the relevant U.S. agencies about the incident, and the camera footage was presented accordingly. On October 12, the charge d'affaires of the United States in our country was invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, serious concern and dissatisfaction with the case were expressed, and the request to ensure the security of the diplomatic mission of Azerbaijan was brought to the attention of the U.S. side.
Recently, the systematic nature of attacks against diplomatic missions of Azerbaijan by radical members of Armenian communities in foreign countries, including attacks and acts of vandalism committed against our embassies in Washington, Paris, Beirut, and other cities, is of serious concern. Ensuring the security of our diplomatic missions in foreign countries is the responsibility of the host country under the international convention. In this regard, we emphasize once again the need to conduct an appropriate investigation into each case and ensure the security of our embassies and diplomats at the appropriate level.
We remind that Armenia, after declaring independence in 1991, in order to realize its territorial claims against Azerbaijan, turned terrorism into means of state policy, and in the process of occupying the territories of Azerbaijan, widely used terrorist means in different parts of our country, as well as committed terrorist acts in the city of Baku. As it is well-known, 24 Turkish diplomats working in different countries of the world became targets of Armenian terrorism.
We note with regret that neither the attacks that took place in recent days, nor the criminal cases opened in 2020 in European capitals, as well as in the city of Los Angeles, against Azerbaijani diplomatic missions, and members of the Azerbaijani community, have been brought to justice. It is this impunity that emboldens radical Armenian groups to resort to new provocations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan strongly condemns the criminal acts of radical forces in foreign countries based on hatred and directed against Azerbaijani diplomatic missions, diplomats, and their property, and demands that the agencies responsible for preventing such provocations in the respective countries approach their duties with full responsibility.
Investigative measures related to the attacks against our diplomatic missions in foreign countries will be kept under the control of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.