Ongoing negotiations over Azerbaijani ships held in Eritrea

Negotiations with the opposing parties regarding our ships held in Eritrea are ongoing.

Azernews reports that this was stated by Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov in his statement to journalists today while visiting the Alley of Martyrs in connection with the January 20 tragedy.

The Minister noted that negotiations with Eritrea are continuing through the embassies of Ankara and Moscow, as well as the New York representative office.

"As soon as the first information regarding the Azerbaijani ships held hostage in Eritrea was received, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took action. Azerbaijan does not have a diplomatic representation in Eritrea. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working with relevant agencies in a coordinated manner. Negotiations with the opposing parties are ongoing. Positive dynamics have been observed in the negotiations in recent weeks," the Minister said.

It should be noted that on November 7, 2024, Caspian Marine Services B.V. The ships “CMS Pahlevan”, “CMS Yigid” and “CMS-3”, sailing under the state flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan and operated by the branch of the company in the Republic of Azerbaijan, made a forced entry into the territorial waters of the State of Eritrea as a result of worsening weather conditions during their visit to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from the direction of the Suez Canal.

Although prior contact was made with the port authorities of the State of Eritrea during the passage, since it was not possible to provide information, after entering the 12-mile territorial waters of the state, the relevant authority of the State of Eritrea emphasized that the entry was unauthorized and detained the said ships. Eighteen of the crew members of the ships are citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan.