(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 10. Interstate
relations are like a delicate and fragile vessel that requires
careful handling, sincerity, and mutual respect. Any crack, an
unspoken gesture, or a biting word can destroy even the strongest
bridges, turning years of diplomacy into icy silence. Today, before
our eyes, we see a dramatic example unfolding: instead of friendly
handshakes between two ancient civilizations, Iran and Azerbaijan,
a worrying web of distrust has stretched.
Each knot in this web represents an incident, a provocation, a
careless statement, or the ignoring of an important signal. This
network accumulates tension, clinging to old grievances and new
contradictions, growing with assumptions, accusations, and
misunderstandings. Where words of brotherhood and historical
closeness were once spoken, today, a harsh dissonance of mutual
claims is heard.
Azerbaijan, facing both historical and contemporary challenges,
continually reminds the world of its sovereignty and national
pride. In opposition to numerous threats, the country focuses on
its rights and independence.
Iran, on the other hand, masks its actions under the rhetoric of
good neighborliness. However, behind this facade, double standards,
hidden hostile steps, and contradictory statements are increasingly
visible, further intensifying the tension.
Diplomacy is an art where there is no room for trivialities.
Today's mutual accusations, heard from the podiums and in the pages
of newspapers, are like sharp daggers that inflict deep wounds,
deepening historical cracks. But where is the truth? Why has the
former harmony turned into bitter confrontation?
Time has ripened to carefully untangle each knot in this web:
each provocation, each accusation, each hidden intention. Truth,
like diplomacy, requires clarity, firmness, and respect.
Particular attention should be paid to an article published by
the Iranian Mehr News agency. Its content, filled with accusations
and attempts to shift the blame, became another knot of distrust.
These loud statements cannot go unanswered. Silence in such cases
is not a manifestation of diplomacy but a concession to
falsehood.
Each accusation requires verification; each claim requires
justification. Step by step, we will dissect the key grievances of
the Iranian side, responding not with emotions but with facts. Only
by relying on reality and international law can justice be
restored.
During a memorial ceremony for the "martyrs of the Battle of
Chaldiran and the martyrs of the Resistance Front" held in Ardabil,
one participant made offensive statements against Azerbaijan and
Türkiye. Despite claims that this person "did not have an official
status," the situation gained serious resonance. Later, the
representative of Iran's Supreme Leader in Ardabil province, Seyyid
Hasan Amili, and the imam of Friday prayers made a statement
calling the words of this individual "unacceptable" and emphasizing
that they "did not reflect the official position of the Islamic
Republic".
According to Amili, "the enemies of the Iranian nation are
trying to undermine relations between Iran and its neighbors," and
personal statements by individuals cannot be considered the
official position of the government.
On January 1, the acting Iranian chargé d'affaires in
Azerbaijan, Seyyed Jafar Aghayi Marian, was summoned to the
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. A strong protest was expressed
regarding the offensive statements made at the event on December
29. Baku also expressed dissatisfaction with the growing
anti-Azerbaijani sentiment in Iran and demanded an end to
provocations undermining bilateral relations.
Despite the statements from Amili and the Council of Trustees of
the Great Mosque of Ardabil, which claimed that the incident was
the opinion of a "simple and irresponsible person," the reality
says otherwise.
The person who made the offensive statements is Gholamreza
Golizadeh, head of the "Ansar al-Mahdi Committee of Ardabil".
According to video materials from his social media, he is closely
associated with Amili and is part of his inner circle. Moreover,
Golizadeh is an official working in a state structure.
After Azerbaijan's official protest, Amili issued an apology,
which turned out to be worse than the offense itself. His rhetoric
only confirmed the connection between the organizers of the event
and the statements made.
The Mehr News, ignoring such concepts as objectivity and
responsibility, published an article titled "Why is Aliyev raising
insignificant issues against Iran?"
The article claims that President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev
"exaggerated a marginal issue, elevating it to an official level to
justify his actions and present Baku as the innocent side in the
ongoing conflict." The agency also attempted to link the incident
in Ardabil with the attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran,
which clearly appears to be an attempt to downplay the seriousness
of what happened.
Baku has every right to protest sharply. The provocative
statements from the Iranian side are not random or the result of
actions by "individuals". They fit into a broader strategy of
escalating tension and creating artificial conflicts.
Azerbaijan continues to defend its rights and sovereignty,
demanding not only apologies from Iran but also the cessation of
provocative actions that threaten regional stability and good
neighborly relations.
First, President Ilham Aliyev, in an interview with local TV
channels, stated: "If any training or military exercises were
conducted near our border, we carried out similar actions on our
side of the Azerbaijan-Iran border. In other words, we showed that
we are not intimidated by anyone and that we are on the right side.
At the same time, this was accompanied by a campaign of insults in
the press because this, apparently, is the style of work of some
ruling circles. In fact, insults are a symbol of weakness. If you
cannot achieve something – I mean people who are rude – they resort
to insults. The one using insults actually insults himself.
Then came the news about the resolution issue from Iran and
other reports. Following that, an act of terror was committed
against our embassy-an organized terrorist attack. Several factors
provided grounds to label it as such. First, for about 40 minutes,
not a single police car arrived at the scene, despite the fact that
this was happening in the center of the capital. Additionally, the
person responsible for the attack was quickly declared mentally ill
the very next day. However, any medical examination takes several
days. This person appeared in the press on the very day he
committed the terror and gave interviews. Two years have passed
since that incident. To this day, the individual responsible has
not faced the sentence that was handed down to him. All of this
points to the fact that it was an organized act. It was a display
of weakness, and the Azerbaijani side responded with appropriate
measures. You know that we recalled all our embassy personnel, and
only when we were officially promised – the late Iranian Foreign
Minister, Mr. Abdollahian, who died in a helicopter crash, came
here and promised me that the person would be sentenced to death –
did we return the embassy employees. But they deceived us again.
Because this death sentence was not executed, the case was sent
back to court for investigation. In other words, this was an
incomprehensible act at the state level, and we insist on our
demands. We know that death sentences in Iran are pronounced for
less serious crimes and are immediately executed. But here, two
years later, not only has it not been carried out, the case has
actually been sent back for further investigation".
... Azerbaijan has never considered the attack on its diplomatic
mission as an "insignificant issue". Such an attack is a gross
violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,
which obligates the receiving state to ensure the security of
foreign diplomatic missions.
The armed attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran, which
resulted in the death of the head of security, cannot be regarded
as a "private case." Iran's response to this incident was limited
to formal statements, and the investigation, despite international
pressure, has been delayed, with its conclusions still not fully
presented.
The statements made at the Ardabil event threatened not only
good-neighborly relations but also Azerbaijan's sovereignty. Any
offensive remarks against heads of state and their peoples,
especially in the context of already tense relations, are
unacceptable. If Iran genuinely seeks normalization of relations,
it must not only express regret but also take concrete steps to
prevent such incidents.
The Mehr News, in its article, tried to shift the blame for the
deterioration of relations onto Azerbaijan, claiming that Baku
allegedly "exaggerates marginal issues".
This statement is misleading. The Azerbaijani side has
repeatedly emphasized that the deterioration of relations is due
precisely to Iran's provocative actions.
Mehr News also claimed that Azerbaijan allegedly allows "Zionist
bases" to operate on its territory. This claim is not only absurd
but entirely unsubstantiated. Azerbaijan, as an independent state,
conducts its foreign policy based on national interests.
Cooperation with Israel is aimed solely at developing economic and
strategic ties.
In contrast to Azerbaijan, Iran has supported terrorist
organizations such as Hezbollah for decades and actively interferes
in the internal affairs of neighboring countries. Such accusations
from Iran appear to be an attempt to divert attention from its own
problems.
Claims that "Azerbaijani media undermines Iran's territorial
integrity" are also absurd. Azerbaijani media, unlike Iranian
media, does not interfere in the internal affairs of other
countries. However, Azerbaijan cannot ignore the discrimination
against Azerbaijanis in Iran, especially in provinces with a
predominantly Azerbaijani population.
... The Iranian rhetoric voiced in the Mehr News article is
aimed at justifying its actions and shifting the responsibility for
the deterioration of relations onto Azerbaijan. However, the facts
speak otherwise. Azerbaijan is always open to dialogue, but this
dialogue is possible only on the basis of mutual respect, adherence
to international law, and a rejection of provocations.
Some Iranian forces, whether media or political groups, need to
stop using accusations against Azerbaijan as an internal propaganda
tool. Instead, they should focus on real steps to restore trust and
normalize relations.
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