Azernews.Az

The Iranian foreign ministry has finally responded to Azerbaijan`s repeated appeals over the case of two young Azerbaijani poets detained in the neighboring country.

In its reply to a diplomatic note from Azerbaijan`s Foreign Ministry, Tehran said Farid Huseyn and Shahriyar Hajizada were detained over ``an attempt to commit a crime``, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev said.

``Azerbaijan`s Consulate General in Tabriz, in turn, sent a new diplomatic note seeking to clarify why the information about Azerbaijani citizens, their arrests and places of detention was being provided so late,`` Abdullayev said. He added that the Consulate had asked the Iranian side to arrange a meeting with Huseyn and Hajizada soon.

The ministry spokesman noted that obtaining information about Azerbaijani nationals and ensuring their safety is a priority for Azerbaijan`s diplomatic missions abroad.

``Therefore, our diplomats should meet with our citizens, familiarize themselves with their condition and the conditions of their detention and obtain more detailed information about their detention,`` Abdullayev said.

The two Azerbaijani poets were detained in Tabriz on May 2. Azerbaijan`s Foreign Ministry earlier sent three diplomatic notes to Iran to enquire about their fate, but received no reply to date.

Azerbaijani-Iranian relations have recently soured. Tension emerged after the rumors that a group of foreigners was going to organize a gay parade in Baku during the Eurovision song contest in late May. Afterwards, anti-Azerbaijani demonstrations were held in neighboring Iran urging to ban a gay parade and not to conduct the song contest, which allegedly contradicts Islamic values.

Though Baku repeatedly said it would not allow holding such a parade in the capital city, the anti-Azerbaijani campaign in Iran did not stop, and protests were held outside the Azerbaijani consulate in Tabriz. In response, rallies were held in front of Iran`s embassy in Baku, with protesters urging to stop the hostile campaign.

Further, Iran recalled its ambassador to Tehran for consultations on May 22.

The tensions rose further after the two Azerbaijani poets went missing in Iran.

But former Iranian Vice President Hassan Ghafouri Fard believes that there are no problems in the relations between Iran and Azerbaijan.

Speaking to journalists last week, Fard pointed to close ties between the two countries, stressing that 30 percent of Iran`s population speak Azerbaijani.

``We have a common history and religion, and many Azerbaijanis are represented in the Iranian leadership,`` Fard said.

He also noted that Iran`s spiritual leader is an ethnic Azerbaijani.

``For this reason, there is no problem between us. Azerbaijan and Iran are fraternal states,`` he said.

Regarding Iran`s relations with Armenia, Fard claimed that currently, Iranian-Azerbaijani relations are much stronger than Iranian-Armenian ties.

Meanwhile, the Iranian embassy in Azerbaijan says Tehran`s ambassador to Baku has returned after more than a month`s absence.

The press service of the Iranian embassy said Ambassador Mohammad Bagir Bahrami ``resumed discharge of his duties`` last Friday.