Austria’s ambassador says he will stay in Azerbaijan until war in Iran ends

Austria’s Ambassador to Tehran, Friedrich Stift, who was evacuated from Iran to Azerbaijan together with four other Austrian diplomats, expressed gratitude to the Azerbaijani side for the reception they received.

According to local media, Friedrich Stift shared details in a conversation with members of the press.

“At present, we are heading to Baku due to the deterioration of the security situation in Iran. We do not know how long the attacks (by the US and Israel on Iran – ed.) will continue, so we decided that it would be better to travel to a safe country. We are extremely grateful to the Republic of Azerbaijan for the warm attitude and reception at the border,” the diplomat said.

According to him, he intends to remain in Azerbaijan until the end of the military actions on Iranian territory.

“We will stay here for as long as necessary. However, we hope that the hostilities and strikes on Iran will end soon and that we will have the opportunity to return to our work in Tehran,” he said.

The diplomat also said that he personally heard the sounds of explosions in the Iranian capital.

“Over the past few days, we usually woke up around two or three in the morning to the sounds of blasts and saw clouds of rising smoke. When we left the city today, we saw several buildings engulfed in flames,” he said.

Commenting on Iran’s drone attack on Nakhchivan, the ambassador said: “Of course, it is not good when such strikes occur.” At the same time, Stift added that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the public today, apologising to neighbouring countries and stating Tehran’s intention to stop attacks on neighbouring states.

By Tamilla Hasanova