The BBC has been unable to obtain any clarification despite requesting an explanation through various channels after receiving an oral directive from Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Azerbaijani government has ordered the suspension of the Baku-based Azerbaijani service of "BBC News." In a statement released on Thursday, the BBC reported that after receiving an oral directive from Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was forced to make the “reluctant decision” to close its office in the country.

The media organization expressed deep regret over what it called a "restrictive measure against press freedom."

Pro-government media had previously reported that the number of employees at "BBC Azerbaijani" would be reduced to just one person.

The BBC stated that its team of journalists operating in Baku had halted their professional activities while awaiting clarification on the directive. Nevertheless, the organization remains committed to continuing its news broadcasts in Azerbaijani.

"We deeply regret this restrictive measure against press freedom. This will significantly hinder our ability to deliver news from Azerbaijan and for Azerbaijanis," a BBC spokesperson said in the statement.

The BBC emphasized that it had not received any written documentation from the Azerbaijani government and had sought clarification through various channels. However, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to respond to the BBC's request for comment.

The "BBC Azerbaijani" service began its broadcasts on November 30, 1994. In December 2008, the Azerbaijani Television and Radio Council decided to halt the broadcasts of foreign radio stations on national frequencies. Consequently, as of January 1, 2009, the FM transmissions of the "BBC Azerbaijani," "BBC English," "BBC Russian," and "BBC Turkish" services were suspended.

The Azerbaijani service, which was part of the Central Asia and Caucasus Department, continued broadcasting via shortwave and the Hotbird 8 satellite. However, on March 25, 2011, "BBC Azerbaijani" radio ceased operations due to funding cuts within the BBC World Service, stemming from public sector spending reductions by the British government.

Since March 2011, "BBC Azerbaijani" has continued its operations through its website, publishing news, analyses, and reports.

On February 13, pro-government media reported that restrictions would be imposed on the operations of both the "Sputnik Azerbaijan" and "BBC News Azerbaijani" editorial offices in Azerbaijan.

It was stated that Azerbaijan has decided to make certain adjustments to the actual operations of foreign media representations and branches in the country to eliminate existing disparities.

"In order to address the imbalance between the representation of Azerbaijan's and Russia's state news agencies in both countries, the number of correspondents from 'Rossiya Segodnya' in Azerbaijan will be adjusted to match the number of AZERTAC correspondents working in Russia. At present, this means one full-time position," the report stated.