Azerbaijan shuts Rossiya Segodnya office, limits BBC, VOA accreditations

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizada has announced the closure of the Rossiya Segodnya (Sputnik) office in the country.

Hajizada stated that the organisation may now obtain accreditation for only one correspondent, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

He also confirmed the revocation of a Voice of America correspondent’s accreditation.

Moreover, the BBC has also closed its office in Azerbaijan. The ministry clarified that accreditation could only be obtained through a single correspondent.

The BBC operating in Azerbaijan since 1994 had earlier announced that it made the "difficult decision" to shut its office following an oral demand from the Azerbaijani government. 

Note that, on February 11, the Russian House, the representative office of Rossotrudnichestvo in Azerbaijan, has announced the suspension of its activities in Baku following a request from the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In a statement, the office confirmed it was taking steps to comply with the Azerbaijani government's directive. The move follows concerns raised by Azerbaijani officials over alleged violations of national legislation.

Aykhan Hajizada stated that the organisation had been operating without proper legal registration and had seriously breached Azerbaijani laws. He noted that a formal diplomatic note was sent to Russia on February 3, 2025, informing them of the decision to shut down the Russian House.

By Aghakazim Guliyev