The Azerbaijani government has ordered the suspension of BBC News' Azerbaijani operation in the capital city, Baku.

The BBC said in a statement on Thursday that it had made the "reluctant decision" to close its office in the country after receiving a verbal instruction from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The corporation added that it "deeply" regrets "this restrictive move against press freedom".

State-controlled media has reported that the government wanted to reduce the number of BBC staff working in the country to one.

The BBC says its team of journalists in Baku have suspended their journalistic activities, while it seeks clarification on the instruction, but that it remains committed to continuing to report in the Azerbaijani language.

"We deeply regret this restrictive move against press freedom, which will hinder our ability to report to and from Azerbaijan for our audiences inside and outside the country," a BBC spokesperson said in a statement.

The BBC has received nothing in writing from the Azerbaijani government and has sought clarification via a number of channels.

Azerbaijan's ministry of foreign affairs has also not responded to the BBC's request for comment.

BBC News Azerbaijani reaches on average one million people every week and its audience has been increasing.

It has operated in Azerbaijan since 1994, providing impartial news and information, initially via radio broadcasts and later across a range of digital platforms.