Azernews.Az

Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has expressed grave concern of the Azerbaijani public over the recent detention of two young poets in neighboring Iran in a meeting with outgoing Iranian Ambassador Mahammad Bagir Bahrami.

Azerbaijan`s Foreign Ministry said that though it has issued five diplomatic notes to Tehran to enquire about the fate of Farid Huseyn and Shahriyar Hajizada, the reply to them was ``short`` and ``incomplete``.

Mammadyarov demanded that Ambassador Bahrami arrange a meeting of the Azerbaijani consul in Iran with the detained poets, in accord with international law, including the Vienna Convention.

He expressed hope that steps to be taken by the Iranian side on the issue would be ``in the spirit of friendly relations`` between the two neighboring countries.

The Azerbaijani consul in Tabriz has sought to meet with the detained poets, but the Iranian side did not provide suitable conditions for such a meeting, the Baku-based ANS TV channel reported on Monday quoting the Foreign Ministry`s press service.

The two poets, who headed to Iran in late April to participate at a poetry festival, were arrested on May 2. Baku has since repeatedly appealed to Tehran to enquire about their fate, but the Iranian side was failing to respond. Recently, Iran replied to the fourth diplomatic note sent by Azerbaijan`s Foreign Ministry, saying the poets were accused of ``attempting to commit a crime``, without citing any motives or details of the alleged crime.

Espionage charges

Iran`s state English language TV channel reported last week that officials have interrogated the two Azerbaijani nationals on espionage charges. The report claimed that the detained poets were on a mission to recruit a number of dissidents in Iran to promote separatism and also linked them to Azerbaijan`s secret services.

In order to ``prove`` the charges brought against the two Azerbaijani nationals, Press TV aired a video displaying a cellular phone, a voice recorder and a camera with alleged incriminating evidence impounded from the poets. The Press TV report claimed that photos of Iranian ``strategic sites and facilities`` were found in the camera.

The broadcaster alleged it appears that the two served Israel`s goal of recruiting people in Azerbaijan in order to send them to neighboring Iran for spying.

Press TV said the two entered Iran under cover of cultural activities. It claimed they had applied to an Iran-based cultural organization and received an invitation from it to arrive in the country.

An unnamed person said in the TV channel`s report that he had sent the invitation to Huseyn and Hajizada, but did not know ``the real goal`` pursued by the poets and was thus ``trapped``.

The TV report showed Huseyn and Hajizada being questioned, but their voices were not on the air. Huseyn`s voice sounded for just a few seconds as he says that his document was not in order, which caused a problem with the authorities.

Press TV was established with funding from the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), an Iranian state-run media corporation. The Iranian government spends about $25 million a year to finance the broadcaster, which mainly serves foreign audience. Press TV, which has been ``conveying the truth about Iran to the world`` for five years, is available via satellite in a number of countries and has correspondents in numerous cities around the world, including Washington, Damascus and Beirut. However, some accuse the TV channel of promoting extremist ideas and broadcasting witness testimonies obtained under torture. A while ago, Britain halted Press TV broadcasts in its territory.

The Azerbaijani government has labeled the spying charges brought against the two Azerbaijani citizens as unfounded.

``Azerbaijan`s Foreign Ministry persists in its efforts to hold a meeting with its citizens detained in Iran. Such information disseminated by Iranian media outlets is aimed at misleading the community and is unfounded,`` spokesman Elman Abdullayev told the Baku-based Trend news agency.

Abdullayev said the Iranian Foreign Ministry told the Azerbaijani embassy that only information received from itself could be considered official.

Iran`s Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi told reporters in Tehran last Friday that details concerning the Azerbaijani poets` detention will be announced soon.

Tensions have escalated between the two nations over a number of issues including Azerbaijan`s accusations that Iran plotted terrorist attacks in the capital Baku.

Earlier this year, Azerbaijan arrested 22 people and accused them of spying for Iran.

Ties have also been strained recently over reported closer ties between Azerbaijan and Iranian rival Israel.

`Anti-Iran policy`

An Iranian lawmaker has called on Azerbaijan to refrain from allegedly aiding what he called anti-Iran policy pursued by Western nations and Israel.

``Azerbaijan should act in line with the interests of Islamic countries and the Muslim world and not bow to the pressure of the United States and Israel,`` said Hossein Naghavi Hosseini, member of the Iranian parliament`s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee.

Hosseini claimed that Israel, jointly with US Central Intelligence Agency, has recently stepped up spying activity against Iran.

``The documents and evidence obtained from Azerbaijani spies... indicate that the Zionists are the implementers of such spying activity,`` he said, referring to poets Farid Huseyn and Shahriyar Hajizada.