The Greek diplomatic mission in Azerbaijan is under threat, according to sources quoted by SLPress.
The complaints refer to specific incidents that have taken place against members of the Greek Embassy in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku and poses a threat to their security.
Everyone is under suffocating surveillance, while there are problems with the general planned “support” of the Greek diplomatic mission, as provided internationally.
The situation escalated from the moment Greece recalled Ambassador Konstantinos Piperigos shortly after his official assumption of office in Baku, SLPress wrote.
During the ceremony of handing over the Ambassador’s credentials, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accepted the credentials but delivered a pro-Turkish and anti-Greek speech by saying:
“I can tell you, and it is no secret, that Turkey is not only our friend and partner, but also a brotherly country for us. Without any hesitation whatsoever, we support Turkey and will support it under any circumstances. We support them [Turkey] in all issues, including the issue in the Eastern Mediterranean.”
Examining that incident with hindsight, SLPress notes that one could include it in the pre-planned military attack against Artsakh with Aliyev using Greece to communicate a message of loyalty and devotion to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Ambassador Piperigos was late in taking office due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For his part, as he attempted in his first contacts with the Azeri Foreign Ministry to set the tone in bilateral relations with a joint statement referring to the need to take steps to re-launch bilateral relations, the Turkish-sponsored invasion of the historical Armenian region of Artsakh began.
It should be noted that Turkey is trying to throw Western countries out of the diplomatic game in the Caucasus, turning a blind eye to Moscow for co-management of the crisis. Maybe, then, the Greek diplomacy should take an initiative towards both the U.S. and the EU, while in some way the issue of the Turkish-Azerbaijani pipeline (TAP) passing through Greece may be on the table.
The urgent visit Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias to Armenia on Thursday likely further aggravate the climate, a fact that may aggravate the security problems faced by members of the Greek diplomatic delegation in Baku.
It is obvious that the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs will have been informed about this situation in Baku, although there are complaints that it does not take it seriously, according to SLPress.
The Greek Foreign Ministry must publicly demand commitments from the Azerbaijani government that the Greeks are safe. The Azerbaijani government refuses to give guarantees.
If for its own reasons the Aliyev regime has decided to pull strings in its relations with Greece and does not respond, then Athens should consider all possibilities of reaction, SLPress concluded.
Both Greece and Azerbaijan have recalled their respective Ambassadors home.
