Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry Comments On Detention Of Country's Vessels In Africa

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 8. On November 7, 2024, three vessels – "CMS Pəhləvan," "CMS İgid," and "CMS-3," sailing under the flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan and operated by the Azerbaijani branch of Caspian Marine Services B.V. – were forced to enter the territorial waters of the State of Eritrea due to worsening weather conditions during their journey to Abu Dhabi (UAE) via the Suez Canal, Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Trend .

According to the Ministry, despite prior communication with the port authorities of the State of Eritrea during the vessels' transit, the failure to provide the required information promptly led to the vessels' entry into the country's 12-mile territorial waters being considered unauthorized.

“Consequently, Eritrean authorities detained the aforementioned vessels. The 18 crew members on board are all citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Following the initial report of the incident on November 7, 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan promptly responded and took control of the situation.

The legal justification that entering Eritrean territorial waters did not violate international law was communicated to the Eritrean side through our embassies in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Russian Federation. Relevant meetings were held at the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as at the Eritrean embassies in Türkiye and Moscow.

Work is ongoing to resolve the issue, secure the release of the vessels and crew, and provide necessary consular and legal assistance," the MFA's statement concluded.

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