Azerbaijan says shots fired at embassy vehicle in Washington

ANKARA

A vehicle of the Azerbaijani Embassy came under fire in Washington, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

The attack took place between the night of Oct. 10 and early hours of Oct. 11, according to the ministry.

The ministry said it summoned the US charge d’affaires in Azerbaijan and expressed “serious concern and dissatisfaction over the incident.”

After the attack, the embassy immediately contacted relevant US authorities and provided them surveillance footage, the statement said.

Azerbaijan “strongly condemns the criminal acts based on hatred of radical forces in foreign countries directed against Azerbaijani diplomatic missions, diplomats and their property, and demands that the institutions responsible for preventing such provocations in their respective countries approach their duties with full responsibility,” it said.

Systematic attacks on Azerbaijani diplomatic missions by “radical members” of Armenian communities, including “acts of vandalism” in Washington, Paris, Beirut and other cities, is of serious concern, the ministry said.

“Ensuring the security of our diplomatic missions in foreign countries is an obligation of the host country,” read the statement.

“In this regard, we emphasize once again the need to conduct an appropriate investigation into each incident and ensure the security of our embassies and diplomats at the appropriate level,” it added.