Azerbaijan has suspended transport across the state border with Iran and closed its airspace at the border. Earlier, Azerbaijan accused Iran of launching drone strikes on the territory of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and said it reserved the right to take appropriate measures. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reported that one drone hit the Nakhchivan airport terminal, while another fell near a school building in the village of Shakarabad. Two civilians were injured in the attack, and the airport buildings were damaged.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry demanded that Tehran provide an explanation as soon as possible, conduct an investigation, and take measures to prevent similar incidents from recurring. The Iranian ambassador was summoned to the ministry to receive a note of protest.
Against the backdrop of the incident, regional media and expert commentators are discussing the possibility of invoking the mechanisms provided for in the Shusha Declaration on Alliance Relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey. The document stipulates that in the event of a threat or act of aggression by a third state, the parties shall hold joint consultations and provide each other with the necessary assistance in accordance with the UN Charter.
At the time of publication, there was no official announcement of the start of formal consultations on the Shusha Declaration, but Ankara and Baku maintain constant coordination on regional security issues, including at the level of the foreign ministries.
The State Border Guard Service says that about 93,000 people and almost 15,000 vehicles crossed the state border of Ukraine in the western section during the day on March 2.
“During the day on March 2, about 93,000 people and almost 15,000 vehicles crossed the state border of Ukraine in the western section. These indicators remained at the level of the previous day,” the press service of the State Border Guard Service said in a statement.
In particular, almost 79,000 people went to leave Ukraine for the EU and Moldova, of which almost 50,000 people crossed the border to Poland, remaining 29,000 left for Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Moldova.
At the same time, over the past 24 hours, almost 14,000 of our compatriots crossed the border to enter Ukraine, most of them men, which is 2,000 more than on March 1.
“We remind you that all checkpoints on the western border operate around the clock. The workload of checkpoints every three hours is covered on the page of the Western Regional Department of the State Border Guard Service,” the message says.
It is noted that at present one of the main tasks for border guards and customs officers is the execution of humanitarian aid for the Ukrainian population and our army.
