Azernews.Az

Iran followed the principles of humanism, Islamic mercy and good neighborly relations with Azerbaijan over the issue of the release of two Azerbaijani poets -- who returned home last Thursday after being detained in the neighboring country for four months, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted by Iranian news agency Mehr as saying.

Shahriyar Hajizada and Farid Huseyn were arrested after arriving in Iran in late April to participate at a poetry festival. Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry sent five diplomatic notes to the Iranian government over the case. The Iranian Foreign Ministry later confirmed the arrest of the two Azerbaijani citizens, saying they were accused of "attempting to commit a crime", without any clarification. Afterwards, an Iranian state TV channel reported that officials had interrogated the two Azerbaijani nationals on espionage charges, claiming that the detained poets were on a mission to recruit dissidents in Iran to promote separatism. Iranian news websites claimed that the Azerbaijani poets were accused of drug trafficking and spying for Israel. Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry dismissed the spying charges as unfounded.

Hajizada and Huseyn told journalists upon arrival in Baku that they would speak about the reasons of their detention at a press conference to be held shortly.

Minister Salehi noted further that Iran is a reliable partner of Azerbaijan, which he said has been repeatedly confirmed by Azerbaijani officials.

"Azerbaijan and Iran are linked by common history, culture and religion, and Tehran has always been interested in good relations with Baku. Any minor problems can be solved by diplomatic means," he added.