Baku. Ramiz Mikayiloghlu – APA. Abolition of the visa regime between Armenia and Iran and Rouhani preparing to make a visit to this country which has been so harsh on Muslims, destroying their monuments and holding under occupation some 20 percent of their lands, is unacceptable, political analyst Gabil Huseynli told APA on June 9.
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He noted that Iran seems to still be unable to accept the reality that Azerbaijan is an independent state.
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“Had Iran digested Azerbaijan’s independence, they would not have opened for Armenia, blockaded by Azerbaijan, a pontoon bridge and then an iron bridge over the River Aras amid the fierce Nagorno-Karabakh war. Iran did so. Today Iran is the country that provides Armenia with food and clothes as well as construction products. They [Armenians] make furniture of trees which they cut down in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and export them to Iran. That is, Iran and Armenia are in mutual lively trade with each other,†he said.
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The political analyst went on to say that Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian has been warmly welcomed in Tehran recently.
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“They even allowed him to meet with 20 representatives of Armenian diaspora. I remember visiting Iran with Heydar Aliyev after we had agreed in Baku that Tabriz would be one of our destinations. But when we arrived in Tehran, they told us to travel in the direction of Isfahan-Kish island because, according to them, there was some problem in Tabriz. So they did not allow us to come into contact with local Azerbaijanis there. Now they are going to lift the visa regime with Armenia. What’s more, Hassan Rouhani is preparing to visit Armenia following Edward Nalbandian’s visit,†he said.
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Pretending to be a country defending Muslim interests, Iran is unable to hide its love for Christian Armenia who has occupied territories of Muslim Azerbaijan, according to Huseynli.
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“They defend Al-Quds, mark Al-Quds Day, call on Muslims around the world to defend Al-Quds, but Nagorno-Karabakh does not fall behind Al-Quds in terms of geographic importance. Iran should take the same stance on Nagorno-Karabakh as on Al-Quds. But Iran has never defended Azerbaijan’s position with regard to this issue,†he stressed. Â
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Huseynli also reminded that within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Iran condemns the occupation by Armenia of Azerbaijani territories, yet it was in complete silence while Azerbaijan’s army was making significant military achievements during April 2-5.
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“Then Iran issued a statement that it could contribute to peaceful settlement of the conflict, instead of supporting Azerbaijan who had just begun liberating the occupied lands. Iran did not do so. After Azerbaijanis in Tabriz and other cities mounted on top of homes and shouted “Allah-u Akbar, Azerbaijan,†one official from Iran’s Defense Ministry visited Azerbaijan. Iran’s construction of a reservoir over the River Aras is yet another controversial issue. In case Iran continues this policy, I believe we will have to remind the Iranians of these issues and give them an adequate response. We seek sincere Shiite friendship with Iran. We want to have real, sincere Muslim-Shiite friendship with Iran. We want cultural rights of 35 million Azerbaijanis living in Iran to be ensured. There are many problems and these problems should be solved gradually in order to establish friendly relations,†he added. Â
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MP, political expert Rasim Musabeyov, in his statement to APA, said that Iran has recently started to establish friendly relations with Armenia.
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“Iran states that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be solved within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. It looks like a principled attitude. However, we observe no pressure on Armenia. Iran is diligent in the issue of Al-Quds that is far from the country, but only expresses attitude towards Azerbaijan's occupied territories. Perhaps it is in the public interest of Iran, but I think this is the wrong attitude. Azerbaijan keeps this attitude under attention. We don’t intend to teach anything to Iran regarding its policy. It is enough to respond to the steps taken by Iran against us,†the political expert added.
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Speaking to APA, Elkhan Shahinoglu, director of the Atlas Research Center, noted that the Azerbaijani-Iranian cooperation has become the topic of discussion after nuclear-related sanctions were lifted on Iran.
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According to him, Iran and Azerbaijan are currently in talks in implementation of joint projects, and work on the realization of the North-South transport corridor project was accelerated.
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“We are seriously concerned about the fact that at this moment, Iran is intensifying dialogue with Armenia. Azerbaijan is a significant country in the South Caucasus from economic and political point of view. Azerbaijan-Iran cooperation can benefit both sides. Armenia is a poor state, what benefits can Iran get from the cooperation with Armenia?! Azerbaijan is able to fund its share in the joint projects with Iran, allocate loans, but Armenia isn’t. Can Iran open a joint institution in Armenia and profit from it? No. Though some Iranian officials and religious leaders state during their visits to Azerbaijan or meetings with Azerbaijani officials in Tehran that they support Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, condemn the occupation, but we don’t observe it in acts. Iran demonstrates a common Islamic position in terms of Al-Quds, but not in terms of the occupation of Azerbaijani territories. By the way, during his recent visit to Tehran, chairman of Azerbaijan’s State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations Mubariz Gurbanli reminded to Iranian officials the destruction of mosques by Armenia in the occupied Azerbaijani territories. Did Iran react to it? I didn’t witness any reaction. Thus, Iran doesn’t consider religious facts in the Karabakh issue, shows only "geopolitical interests". Some of Iranians are disinterested in the development and strengthening of Azerbaijan and consider it important to have close relations with Armenia to prevent it. However, Iran’s strengthening relations with Armenia can undermine confidence of Azerbaijani society and political centers in the cooperation with Iran,†he added. Â
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