Iranian General Staff Commander Seid Hasan Firuzabadi has condemned
Baku for criticism from Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan sent a protest note,
handed to Iranian Ambassador to Baku Magomedbagir Bahrami, who had
been invited to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Turan reports.
In an interview with Mehr, Firuzabadi had condemned Azerbaijan for
violating the rights of believers and support for Zionists.
Azerbaijan replied to Iran, calling its statements aspersions and
noting that publication of statements against Azerbaijan violates its
national interests and security, perverts the image of internal and
external policy.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry demanded that Iran stop further
aspersions and take measures to prevent such situations.
The head of the East-West Center, Arastun Orudzhglu, said that the
Iranian statements express tensions between the two countries. It may
be a reaction to the active support of Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev and Western states in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. Iran wants to act as a regional power center. The Baku
authorities do not want expansion of Iranian power the way it is
happening in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq.
Azerbaijani MP Rasim Musabekov believes that the statements will
complicate bilateral relations.
Another MP from the Party for Democratic Reforms, Asim Mollazade, says
that it is inappropriate for an official to use religion for political
purposes. “When the Iranian government violates the rights of millions
of Azerbaijani ethnicities and gives military support to Armenia, why
doesn't it think about Islam,” Mollazade said.
