Moscow [Russia], April 7: The former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan expelled four Iranian diplomats in connection with recent bilateral tension. The Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan was summoned on Thursday, the foreign ministry said in Baku. It added that the four embassy employees' activities were incompatible with their diplomatic status. They have been asked to leave Azerbaijan territory within 48 hours. The Azerbaijani security authorities also arrested six men on Thursday, accusing them of an attempted coup d'etat. Allegedly, the group was directed from Iran. The shooting of the head of security at the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran by an armed intruder in January had already caused tensions to flare. Relations between the two countries have traditionally been bad. Millions of Azeris live in Iran. Baku accuses Tehran of oppressing this ethnic minority, which makes up most of Azerbaijan's population. Tehran, on the other hand, suspects Baku of fueling separatist sentiment among the Azeri minority
Source: Qatar Tribune
