Azerbaijani State Border Service responds to Iranian Commander's statements

In an interview published in the media outlets of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) in recent days, Commander of the Border Guards of Iran Brigadier General Ahmad Ali Goudarzi made untrue statements. The State Border Service officially states that the forces of any third state have never been, are not, and will not be on the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan," State Border Service (SBS) Press Center told Report.

Allegations about the activities of foreign takfiris in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as the use of Azerbaijani territory by third countries for intelligence purposes against Iran, are false and do not reflect the truth: "There are no forces and specialists of any foreign state on the state borders of the Republic of Azerbaijan, border protection offices. SBS, which has the most modern capabilities for reliable protection and security of the state borders of the Republic of Azerbaijan, does not need the support of external units.

"The application of border and customs control on the Gorus-Gafan highway passing through the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the state border with Armenia is a sovereign right of Azerbaijan.

"Despite regular working meetings and the exchange of information between the Azerbaijani and Iranian border guards at various levels, the Azerbaijani side has not been informed about what was said in the interview, and no facts have been presented.

"Currently, the operational conditions on the state border with the Islamic Republic of Iran are stable, and Azerbaijani border guards fully control the border with Iran. Any provocation against the state interests of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the state border will continue to be firmly prevented.

"In light of what has been said, we recommend the Iranian officials be more responsible and refrain from disseminating false or defamatory information."