The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is pulling out of Azerbaijan because Ilham Aliyev’s government believes the organization is no longer needed and has told it to leave.

The ICRC, in accordance with its mandate and Azerbaijan’s obligations under the Geneva Conventions, will continue to cooperate with the Azerbaijani authorities to support persons protected by international humanitarian law (IHL).

Last March, it was reported that Azerbaijan intended to close the ICRC office in Baku. Azerbaijan even claimed it had information that under the guise of a humanitarian mission, the ICRC office was “engaged in smuggling”, alleging that the country’s Border Guard Service (BPS) had discovered cases of smuggled goods in vehicles belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross.”

The government sanctioned Azerbaijani Press Agency reported at the time that there was also information that ICRC employees were “engaged in espionage for Armenia.”

In addition to the ICRC, the Azerbaijani authorities have also suspended the work of four UN agencies in the country: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

While the ICRC claimed to have visited former Artsakh government officials now on trial in Baku on terrorism and a host of alleged war crimes, scores of Armenian civilian and military remain detained. in Azerbaijan.

Photo: ICRC website