UPDATE - Central Asian countries denounce attack on Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran

UPDATES WITH STATEMENT BY TAJIKISTAN'S FOREIGN MINISTRY, NEW HEADLINE, LEDE, MINOR CHANGES

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - All five countries of Central Asia have joined the growing chorus of condemnations of Friday’s attack on the Azerbaijani Embassy in Iran’s capital Tehran, which killed one person and injured two others.

Uzbekistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov conveyed his condolences to Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov in a phone call on Saturday.

A Foreign Ministry statement said Uzbekistan “strongly condemns the armed attack” and offers its “deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and wish a speedy recovery to the injured.”

“We hope that all those responsible will be brought to justice following a thorough investigation of this incident,” the statement said.

In a separate statement, Turkmenistan’s Foreign Ministry also denounced the attack on the Azerbaijani mission.

“Turkmenistan declares the inadmissibility of attacks on diplomatic missions and the use of any violence against the personnel of diplomatic departments,” read the statement.

The ministry offered condolences to the relatives and friends of the deceased, and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

Tajikistan's Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin also called Bayramov to condemn the attack and offer condolences, according to a statement of the country's diplomatic service.

Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry also issued a statement in support of Azerbaijan. Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulumbayev made a phone call to Bayramov to offer his condolences.

An assailant armed with an automatic weapon stormed the embassy building in Tehran at around 8.30 a.m. local time (0500GMT) on Friday morning.

The head of the embassy’s security services was killed in the attack, while two security guards at the entrance were injured.

The attacker was immediately arrested, Tehran’s police chief Hossein Rahimi later told reporters, saying preliminary investigations point to “personal and family-related problems” as a possible motive.