Orkhsan Sattarov. Exclusively to VK
Many Azerbaijani people expect a lot from the summit of the member-states of the Non-Aligned Movement, which will take place in late August in Tehran. The hopes concern a possible settlement of the long-running Iranian-Azerbaijani diplomatic crisis, which was caused by a series of internal political, regional, and geopolitical factors. Azerbaijan will be represented by the president of the country, Ilham Aliyev, and it is planned to organize a meeting with his colleague Mahmood Ahmadinejad. Agreements on issues of mutual interest would help ease tension in relations. Judging by the statements of Tehran, the Iranian authorities are interested in this.
Iran has always considered Azerbaijan to be a close and friendly country, the deputy foreign minister of the IRI, Seyed Abbas Aragchi, said, 1news.az cited the agency Fars. “Azerbaijan and Iran are two states with one nation, and the level of relations between Baku and Tehran should be an example for others. Azerbaijan and Iran, relying on brotherhood and friendly relations, implement fruitful and many-sided cooperation,” Aragchi noted. “Azerbaijan and Iran have to do their best to come closer. Disagreements existing between our countries are natural. However, overcoming rather than intensifying these disagreements and achieving a consensus are of great importance,” he emphasized. According to him, the political will of the leaders of the states and the mass media which forms public opinion play a great role in the issue.
The statements by the deputy foreign minister of Iran should be considered in the context of the coming meeting between Aliyev and Ahmadinejad. The Tehran authorities also hope for a settlement of the crisis between the two countries.
However, it seems the foreign ministry’s position doesn’t reflect the real intentions of some forces in Tehran: ahead of Aliyev’s visit to Iran, an anti-Azerbaijani provocative event was held with the support of the Iranian authorities. The official Iranian agency IRNA reported that a cartoon exhibition “What’s going on in Azerbaijan” was opened in the Iranian city of Tabriz. The head of the territorial structure of the ministry of culture and Islamic orientation of Iran in the province of Eastern Azerbaijan, Ali Danade, stated that the exhibition judges the anti-Islamic and inhumane policy of Azerbaijan. 56 works by caricaturists from Serbia, Turkey, China, Iran, and Croatia are presented there.
This arrangement might remain unimportant, but there several alarming aspects. First of all, the ministry of culture and Islamic orientation of Iran stands behind the exhibition’s organization. Secondly, the exhibition is conducted in Tabriz, where ethnic Azerbaijanis live and a general consulate of Azerbaijan is situated. Finally, this event has gained promotion through the official information agency IRNA.
It seems there are two forces in Iran – conservative clerics and the relatively secular foreign ministry – that contradict each other. The first provides provocative actions, the other tries to fix relations with Baku. Azerbaijan has to build relations with its southern neighbor, but the ambiguity of Iran's policy complicates a settlement of the Iranian-Azerbaijani crisis.
