Azerbaijan submits second note to Iranian foreign ministry
The Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Tabriz submitted on Monday a second note to the Iranian Foreign Ministry over detention of research fellow of the Institute of Literature of Azerbaijan's National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), Orientalist Khalida Khalid, and her driver, the Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev told reporters on Tuesday.
According to him, the first note was submitted on May 1.
Iran responded by stating that the detained Azerbaijani citizens are accused of illegal activities, Abdullayev said.
According to him, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry asked Iran in the second note about meeting with the detained citizens, as stipulated by the Vienna Convention on Human Rights.
Azerbaijan will also insist on providing the necessary legal aid to detained persons, Abdullayev said.
Khalida Khalid and Shamhal Huseynov were arrested on April 30 in Tabriz by the employees of the Ministry of Information Security and Intelligence of Iran, the Iranian media reported earlier.
They are now in the custody of the Iranian Intelligence and Security Service (ETTELAAT), and their case is being investigated, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said earlier on Tuesday.