ISTANBUL

Azerbaijan on Monday summoned German ambassador Ralf Horlemann to lodge a strong protest against a recent Instagram post by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, claiming it violated its territorial integrity.

The Foreign Ministry said Steinmeier’s official Instagram account shared the post during his visit to Armenia featuring the so-called “flag” of the separatist regime formerly established in Azerbaijan’s now-liberated territories.

Calling the move an “open political provocation,” the Azerbaijani side condemned the post as inconsistent with Germany’s stated support for Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and as harmful to the ongoing peace process.

“The German side was urged to issue a public apology for this post,” the ministry said.

Baku also criticized the post’s focus on Armenian residents of the Karabagh region, saying it ignored the rights of over 1 million Azerbaijanis who were forcibly displaced during the decades-long conflict.

It emphasized that the conflict has been resolved both militarily and politically, and there is no longer an administrative unit called “Nagorno-Garabagh” in Azerbaijan.

All references to the region should reflect its current legal status and avoid “politically motivated or false terminology,” the ministry said.