NGO reps urge UK to hold accountable attackers of Azerbaijani embassy in London

By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

Azerbaijani NGO representatives have urged the UK government to hold accountable the attackers of the Azerbaijan’s embassy in London, Azernews reports.

These remarks were made in a statement by a group of Azerbaijani NGO leaders addressed to the British embassy in Baku in response to the vandalism against the Azerbaijani embassy.

“As representatives of Azerbaijani civil society, we believe that Great Britain should accept responsibility for the attack on our country's embassy as a state, realize the concerns of the Azerbaijani people, conduct a thorough investigation into the incident, find and punish those responsible, and inform the government and people of Azerbaijan about the results,” the statement reads.

The NGO members condemned the attack of radical religious group on the Azerbaijani embassy in London on August 4, describing it as an act of vandalism.

“We proclaim that the acts committed against our flag, embassy staff, and the facility are detrimental to the image of the United Kingdom and violate international , as well as diplomatic law, which is a fundamental component of it,” the statement says.

It adds that despite the fact that the event occurred more than a week ago, the British embassy in Azerbaijan issued a statement only on August 5, noting that it condemns the actions of the protesters, who entered the Azerbaijani embassy in London and that a thorough investigation was conducted on this matter.

According to NGO leaders, the UK government's statement a day later did not identify the perpetrators of the event and merely referred to them as "protesters".

The labeling of the offenders as "protestors" raises concerns since the incident was an act of vandalism, which was committed against the Azerbaijani flag, and happened in front of the police, they stressed.

“Although the warning about the incident was brought to the attention of the relevant British agencies by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry through diplomatic channels, the UK government has not yet made a serious statement. Please note that according to Article 22 of the Convention on Diplomatic Relations, adopted on April 18, 1961, diplomatic facilities are inviolable,” the statement reminds.

It is the receiving State's unique responsibility to take all necessary precautions to safeguard the delegation from any threats and injuries, as well as to avoid any disruption of its tranquility or disrespect to its honor, it adds.