Armenia’s ambassador to the European Union Tigran Balayan allegedly received threats from his Azerbaijani counterpart Vakif Sadikov during a recent diplomatic reception in Brussels, IntelliNews reports.
Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovannisyan told reporters on Wednesday that the threats and insults were made during an event organised by the Turkish Embassy at the Tangla Hotel in Brussels on the occasion of Turkey’s bank holidays. The Armenian embassy has since filed an official complaint with other diplomatic missions in the Belgian capital. Hovannisyan said:
“An investigation into the matter is underway.”
The incident was first reported by POLITICO, which quoted Balayan as saying that Sadikov had threatened him during the event. Sadikov reportedly denied the allegations, calling them “ridiculous.”
Territorial dispute
The tensions have arisen amid ongoing talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan on a possible peace agreement to end decades of enmity over territorial disputes. The two countries have fought two major wars since the early 1990s, with the most recent conflict in 2020 ending in an Azerbaijani victory. During the 2020 war, Azerbaijan took control of parts of Nagorno-Karabakh, a region previously controlled by Armenian-backed ethnic Armenian forces. In September 2023, Azerbaijan completed its military takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh, displacing more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians, almost the entire population of the enclave, who fled to Armenia.
According to the letter, seen by POLITICO, Balayan was subjected to “verbal attacks and intimidation” by Sadikov, who allegedly “made explicit threats against his life.”
The Armenian Embassy to the EU declined to respond to POLITICO’s request for comment, while the Turkish Embassy has yet to comment on the matter.
Last June, Sadikov publicly threatened members of the European Parliament who were visiting Armenia and called on Azerbaijan to withdraw its troops from internationally recognised Armenian territories. He wrote on X:
“The Istiglal IST-14.5 anti-materiel sniper rifle produced in Azerbaijan has an effective firing range of about 3,000 m. Guys, keep away from the Azerbaijani state border…”
Seven weeks later, the EU Monitoring Mission in Armenia – a civilian and unarmed presence – came under Azerbaijani sniper fire near the border in the Gegharkunik region. No one was injured in the attack and the monitors were forced to take refuge in an Armenian military shelter.
