Prime Minister of Azerbaijan persuades man not to jump from bridge

A man who was going to jump from the bridge on Heydar Aliyev Avenue near the Koroglu metro station in Baku changed his mind after having a conversation with Prime Minister Novruz Mammadov.

Meanwhile, a tent set up on the road by rescuers impeded traffic at an important road junction, effectively blocking off an entire district all morning.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan reported that Mammadov learned of the situation in the morning on his way to work, changed his route, went to the scene and, calling the man on his mobile phone, persuaded him not to jump.

The man was identified as 49-year-old worker Yashar Akhmedov who came to the bridge after undisclosed problems with his children.

After the bridge incident, Akhmedov was invited to the Cabinet of Ministers where he was promised that the State Committee for Family, Women and Children will deal with his problem.

This is not the first attempted suicide on the same bridge. In 2014 an attempt was made by 50-year-old Sadiq Nasirov who was swindled out of USD 65 000. Member of Parliament Ganira Pashayeva helped to get Nasirov off of the bridge. She was not there of her own accord though, as Nasirov demanded to have the conversation with Pashayeva.

Another young man almost jumped from the same bridge in 2015, but was rescued by the employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The rescue effort succeeded without attracting high-ranking officials.