After the military attacks launched by the US and Israel against Iran on February 28, a number of countries withdrew their diplomatic representatives from Iran. Following the ceasefire achieved a few days ago, some countries have begun talks and taken concrete steps towards restoring their diplomatic activities. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already announced that its embassy in Iran will be restored. Germany has also resumed diplomatic talks with Iran. This means that the return of diplomats has already begun, but it is still limited and phased.
It is interesting to know when foreign diplomats will return to Iran?
In a statement to Modern.az, former Foreign Minister Tofiq Zülfüqarov stated that the issue of returning diplomats depends on the country sending the ambassador:
"The country where the ambassador is accepted usually does not participate in making any decision in this regard. Simply put, these matters are accompanied by certain discussions. The Iranian side may promise certain guarantees at the MFA level. This is only possible in the form of consultation. Regarding Spain's preparation to reopen its embassy and Germany's resumption of diplomatic talks, it is possible that since a unilateral decision was made to downgrade diplomatic relations, some discussions are now being held to resolve these issues. However, as is known, the diplomatic staff of many countries from Iran were evacuated from Azerbaijan. If those countries deem it appropriate at the current moment, they can return their diplomats. Frankly, I do not believe many will return until airport operations in Tehran are restored. The initiation of talks by some countries in this direction should be regarded as a political message aimed at peace and stability. We should understand this as a kind of support for achieving a ceasefire. From a practical point of view, however, the process is difficult. Again, I do not believe that many countries will proceed with the full restoration of their embassy operations yet".
T. Zülfüqarov emphasized that the issue concerning Azerbaijani diplomats evacuated from Iran is different:
"There are different nuances regarding the issue of Azerbaijani diplomats. Azerbaijan has a specific condition in this matter. Namely, the elements that attacked Nakhchivan must be identified, and the results of the investigations must be communicated to Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani Foreign Minister explicitly mentioned this issue during his conversation with his Iranian counterpart. I believe that the return of Azerbaijani diplomats is primarily linked to this issue".
