The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense have issued a joint statement condemning Iran for sending a military aircraft along the Azerbaijani-Iranian state border without early warning on March 11. The aircraft reportedly flew 3-5 km from the state border over the Zangilan region in the direction of the Bilasuvar region of Azerbaijan and back, and in some places, it flew over the state border.

Such actions pose a threat to the security of civil aviation and further aggravate bilateral relations between the two countries, the statement said. Azerbaijan has called on Iran to provide appropriate explanations and refrain from such provocative actions in the future.

The Iranian Air Force has been known to violate the airspace of Azerbaijan in the past, with incidents dating back to 2002. In response to the recent incident, the Azerbaijani Ambassador to Iran has been summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.