Azerbaijan, Baku / Тrend corr S. Aghayeva / A diplomat from the Azerbaijani Embassy in Great Britain accused of stealing from a supermarket was recalled to the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry in 2006 in accordance with his schedule, Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister, Vagif Sadikhov, reported on 5 September.
British publications The Independent, The Gulf Times, and others referred to the Azerbaijani diplomat, who allegedly committed theft in a shop, in the 'disgraceful list' published annually by the British Foreign Ministry.
"A newspaper article is not an accusation. An accusation can be made by a prosecutor. Only at the end of court investigation can it be defined as an official crime or not. Nothing, however, was done in this connection, so the word 'accusation' cannot be used in connection with the incident," the Deputy Minister said.
According to Sadikhov, the Azerbaijani Embassy in Great Britain studied the issue and coordinated it with the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.
Azerbaijan's former Ambassador to Great Britain, Rafael Ibrahimov, said in one of the publications that the diplomat mentioned in the article was recalled from Great Britain in 2006.