BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 20. Negotiations on Azerbaijani vessels detained in Eritrea continue, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov told reporters, Trend reports.
The minister noted that negotiations with Eritrea are being conducted through the embassies in Ankara and Moscow, as well as the mission in New York.
"As soon as the first information about the capture of Azerbaijani ships in Eritrea came in, the Foreign Ministry took immediate action. Azerbaijan does not have a diplomatic mission in Eritrea.
However, the ministry is actively engaging with the relevant structures. Negotiations with the other side are ongoing, and in recent weeks, there has been a positive dynamic in the negotiations," he added.
On November 7, 2024, the CMS Pehlеvan, CMS Igid, and CMS-3 vessels, operated by the Caspian Marine Services B.V. branch in Azerbaijan, sailing under the country's flag 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.
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 Azerbaijan.
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