Exclusive: Azerbaijan President shares with WION his doubts on embassy attack in Iran, wants fair probe

An attack on Azerbaijan's embassy in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on January 27, left one dead and two others injured. WION spoke with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and asked him on whom the onus lies for the tensionbetween Azerbaijan and Iran.Speaking exclusively to WION, the Azerbaijan president said, the attack on the embassy "was an organised act of terror against Azerbaijan."

"During the 30-40 minutes, the terrorists were not disarmed and the police were coming and going...but they allowed them (the attackers) to break in, resulting in the killing of a police officer and injury to others," he said.

Also Read | Rishi Sunak says UK to provide Ukraine with long-range weapons, calls for new NATO charter

Add WION as a Preferred Source

The president said, "The lives of dozens of Azerbaijanis and diplomats were saved because of the bravery of one unarmed security officer. Therefore, we demand an immediate and transparent investigation."

The Azerbaijan president further shared with WION his suspicions over what happened after the attack. "The terrorist was interviewed by Iranian media which demonstrates that the terrorist was sent from the Iranian establishment," he told WION.

And another strange thing that happened after two days, the president said was that "he (the suspected attacker) was declared as a mentally unstable person. How can they tell this so quickly? It is an attempt to protect him."

He urged the Iranian government to conduct "a transparent investigation."

Also Read | Munich Security Conference: Kamala Harris vows support to Ukraine for 'as long as it takes'

"We should be informed and the terrorist should be punished. But most importantly, the people who sent the terrorist, from the establishment, who did this brutal act should be brought to justice, then only we can have normal relations,"Aliyev said.

After the attack, the Azerbaijangovernment had said that a security official was killed when a gunman opened fire at embassy grounds. Local police had claimed to have arrested a suspect and launched an investigation into the incident.

Watch | Protesters throw bricks and bottles at security personnel, violent protest grips Suriname capital

Meanwhile, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi reportedly told his Azerbaijani counterpart that bilateral relations should not be affected by an attack.

“The governments of Iran and Azerbaijan will not allow bilateral relations to be affected by the suggestions of those who wish ill on the two nations,” Raisi was quoted as saying on his official website.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.