Talks underway to free Azerbaijani vessels held in Eritrea, says MFA official

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada has announced the continuation of efforts to resolve the issue of the Azerbaijani vessels detained by Eritrean authorities in their territorial waters.

On November 7, 2024, the vessels CMS Pəhləvan, CMS İgid, and CMS-3, operated by the Azerbaijani branch of Caspian Marine Services B.V. and flying the Azerbaijani state flag, were forced to enter the territorial waters of the State of Eritrea while en route from the Suez Canal to Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) due to worsening weather conditions, he said, Caliber.Az reports.

He stated that the vessels were detained by the relevant Eritrean authorities, who justified the detention by the unauthorized entry into their territorial waters. Eighteen crew members on the vessels are citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

"As soon as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan received information about the incident, the matter was taken under control," Hajizada said.

He added that the legal justification for the vessels' entry into Eritrean territorial waters, which does not violate international law, was conveyed to the Eritrean side through Azerbaijani embassies in Ethiopia and Russia in the form of a note: "Meetings were held at the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and at the Eritrean embassies in Türkiye and Moscow regarding this matter. Efforts to resolve the issue and release the vessels and their crew are ongoing.”

By Khagan Isayev