BAKU, November 28. /TASS/. Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that it summoned diplomats from Germany, the United States, and France to talk over alleged violations of a law on financing the mass media.

"On November 28, 2023, the foreign ministry summoned the US and German charges d’affaires and the French ambassador separately. The diplomats were informed that the AbzasMedia news portal in concert with organizations registered in these countries is engaged in illegal financial transactions and that the embassies of these countries are involved in these activities. A strong protest against such activities was expressed," it said.

According to the ministry, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), FreedomNow, New Democracy Fund and other organizations transferred funds to Azerbaijan in violation of rules pertaining to financial donations. The ministry stressed that financing officially unregistered projects constitutes a gross violation of the country’s laws. Apart from that, the law on the mass media prohibits local media outlets from taking money from individuals, legal entities and governments of foreign countries.

"It was stressed that these unlawful actions by their countries’ embassies and organizations in Azerbaijan violate the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," the ministry said. The ministry slammed such actions as interference into Azerbaijan’s domestic affairs and warned that Baku "reserves the right to take appropriate measures in line with national laws."

Azerbaijan’s police said earlier that they had detained Ulvi Hasanli, the founder and director of the independent internet portal AbzasMedia, as well as its editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifgizi on charges of smuggling foreign currency into Azerbaijan. A court ruled to place them in custody for a term of four months. The journalists deny their guilt, saying their arrest was connected with their efforts to fight corruption in the country.