【Russia's relations with this former Soviet state have suddenly deteriorated】

On June 29, the State Committee for Azerbaijani Emigrants Affairs in Azerbaijan posted on the Telegram channel stating that the Telegram channel "ADR - Azerbaijani Russian Diaspora" (АДР — Азербайджанская диаспора России) which published a statement criticizing Baku's policy towards Moscow is fake, and that the publication itself is a "provocative statement" unrelated to the Azerbaijani community in Russia. "The fake Telegram channel spreading such information is a provocation against our country and our compatriots living in Russia."

In the post by "ADR - Azerbaijani Russian Diaspora", the channel claimed on behalf of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Russia that Baku is engaged in political opportunism aimed at undermining relations with Moscow, rather than helping its citizens in Russia. The text mentioned an article from Azertag, which stated that the recent incident of Azerbaijani citizens being detained in Yekaterinburg indicates that Azerbaijani diaspora representatives and other emigrants "often face pressure" while living in Russia.

The post by "ADR - Azerbaijani Russian Diaspora" also pointed to President Aliyev: "It is deeply regrettable that our respected Azerbaijani President Aliyev and his officials completely fail to understand that insulting Russia is equivalent to insulting the diaspora, and once again subject all Azerbaijanis in Russia to new attacks."

On June 27, in Yekaterinburg, a large-scale arrest of Azerbaijanis occurred as part of the investigation into murder cases from 2001, 2010, and 2011. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry stated that there were casualties among the arrested and demanded accountability for those who used violence. Two suspects - brothers Huseyn Safarov and Ziyad Safarov - have died. Russian media reported that both had heart problems.

The Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized that the arrests of Azerbaijani diaspora representatives were conducted within the framework of criminal investigations into "serious crimes." On June 28, the Russian acting ambassador Peter Volokhov, summoned to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, assured that the situation was under the control of law enforcement agencies.

On June 29, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture announced that it would cancel all planned cultural activities with official and civil institutions in Russia due to "intentional killing and violent acts" against Azerbaijani citizens, and the Azerbaijani delegation also canceled its participation in the meeting of the inter-parliamentary cooperation committee between the two countries.

The Russian State Duma responded to Azerbaijan's cancellation of cultural activities, calling Baku's reaction to the Yekaterinburg detention incident "excessive." The Russian Investigative Committee stated that the Yekaterinburg police detained members of a criminal gang involved in murder cases from previous years.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1836304812870668/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.