Polish firm halts production after Azerbaijan flags separatist symbol

A Polish company has halted the production and sale of a product featuring printed material displaying a rag associated with the now-dissolved separatist regime, following a protest by Azerbaijan’s Embassy in Poland.

The embassy told Azertag that it contacted Cezary Popiel, director of the "Henry" company, which was involved in producing and selling the product, and conveyed Azerbaijan’s strong protest.

Popiel apologised and said he had learned about the issue through social media. He confirmed that the company had decided to stop production and sales of the product.

In a written letter to the embassy, Popiel said the use of the symbol was neither intentional nor deliberate, but resulted from human error during the preparation of the print material.

He said sales had been completely halted, while all remaining stock and products returned by customers would be withdrawn from circulation and destroyed. He also said measures had been taken to prevent the symbol from appearing in future printed materials.

Popiel stressed his respect for Azerbaijan’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

The Azerbaijani Embassy thanked representatives of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Poland who identified the incident, raised public awareness through social media and appealed to relevant authorities.

By Sabina Mammadli