MOSCOW, June 30. /TASS/. Moscow regrets Baku's decision to cancel Russian events after authorities suppressed the activities of an Azeri criminal group in Yekaterinburg in the Urals, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to a question from TASS.
"We sincerely regret these decisions. We need to keep working to clarify the reasons and nature of the events that, in the opinion of the Azerbaijani side, caused such demarches," Peskov said.
Earlier, Azerbaijan’s Culture Ministry cancelled all cultural events organized by Russian state and private institutions. An Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation canceled its participation in a Moscow meeting of the commission of the Milli Majlis (parliament) and Russia’s Federal Assembly on interparliamentary cooperation.
Baku has protested against the police raids carried out by Russia’s security forces, claiming two Azerbaijanis were killed and several people were injured during the operation.
About the actions of law enforcement agencies
Russia’s Investigative Committee’s branch for the Sverdlovsk Region, where Yekaterinburg is located, said that a criminal case had been opened against an Azeri criminal group under Part 2 of Article 105 of the Criminal Code, Part 3 of Article 30, Part 2 of Article 105 of the Criminal Code (murder committed by a group of individuals by prior agreement, contract killing, attempted contract killing). According to investigators, the defendants are involved in several episodes of murders and attempted murders committed in Yekaterinburg in 2001, 2010, 2011. According to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Russia’s Charge d'Affaires Pyotr Volokovykh, invited to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, provided the necessary clarifications on the situation.