No:181/25, Response of Aykhan Hajizada, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to a question from local media regarding the refusal of entry of a Member of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan into the territory of the Russian Federation
Question: According to reports, Azer Badamov, Member of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan, who was part of the Azerbaijani delegation traveling today to Astrakhan, Russia, was stopped at the Moscow airport and was not allowed to board the flight to Astrakhan. It is reported that he was banned from entering Russia and has returned to Baku from Russia. We would like to know your position on this matter.
Answer: Yes, indeed, this incident took place today. It should be noted that the visit of the delegation, which included Member of the Milli Majlis Azer Badamov, to the city of Astrakhan was organized at the invitation of the Deputy Governor of the Astrakhan Region of the Russian Federation – Chairman of the Government, Denis Afanasyev, with the purpose of participating in events dedicated to the 102nd anniversary of Heydar Aliyev, National Leader of Azerbaijani people.
Although the delegation flew from Baku to Moscow, the Russian side, without any prior warning or notification, stopped the Member of Parliament Azer Badamov at the airport in Moscow and informed him that he was banned from entering the country. After being held at the Moscow airport for some time, he was sent back to our country.
Following this development, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was immediately contacted through our Embassy in Russia. Stating that the issue would be investigated, a representative of the Russian MFA did not provide any explanation regarding the reasons behind this decision.
We view this decision of the Russian side to be an unfriendly step and expect a substantiated explanation from Russia regarding the matter.