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Ekho, Azerbaijan
Jan 8 2011
Iran again meddling in Azerbaijan's internal affairs
Excerpt from B. Safarov and N. Aliyev's report
[translated from Russian]
Comments made by representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran
following the Azerbaijani president's New Year address can be assessed
as an open interference by the Islamic Republic of Iran in
Azerbaijan's internal affairs.
"From the legal point of view, President Ilham Aliyev's New Year
speech is absolutely correct. The address is in line with the
celebration of New Year and the Day of Solidarity of Azerbaijanis of
the World," lawyer Elcin Qambarov told Ekho commenting on statements
by a number of Iranian officials and publications in some Iranian
media.
The expert noted that ethnic Azerbaijanis live in different parts of
the world. "Azerbaijan is an independent state, and all Azerbaijanis
of the world regard our country as their motherland," Qambarov
stressed.
It must be noted that the Iranian news agency Mehr reported that Ilham
Aliyev's New Year address, in which he, as the leader of all
Azerbaijanis of the world, congratulated the whole Azerbaijani people
on New Year and the Day of Solidarity of Azerbaijanis of the World,
had caused the outrage of the head of the Iranian parliamentary
commission for foreign relations and security, Ala'eddin Borujerdi.
Borujerdi said that Ilham Aliyev could not be the leader of ethnic
Azerbaijanis in Iran since they considered heads of the Iranian state
as their leaders.
"Ilham Aliyev is the president of Azerbaijan, and this does not give
him the right to be the leader of all Azerbaijanis," he said.
For its part, the Iranian website presstv.ir accused the Azerbaijani
leadership of pursuing an anti-Islamic policy and of having relations
with Tel-Aviv. The website recalled a recent protest by Muslim
believers staged outside the [Azerbaijani] Education Ministry over a
ban on wearing hijab at school. Iranian experts believe that this ban
is a concession made by the country's government to the West aimed at
the future accession to the European Union, an organization which has
not a single Muslim European country represented in it, either
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, or Turkey. At the same time,
Presstv.ir noted that over 24 per cent of Iran's population were
ethnic Azerbaijanis and that "they have never looked for a foreign
politician to become their leader".
Presstv.ir also advised that the Azerbaijani leadership should refrain
from statements that could "incite discord among different ethnic
groups in neighbouring countries".
[Passage omitted: about statements made by the leader of the
Azerbaijani Islamic Party, Movsum Samadov, calling for the overthrow
of the Ilham Aliyev government that was posted on YouTube]
"Ilham Aliyev is a leader who commands the respect of all Azerbaijanis
of the world, including our compatriots in Iran and Turkey. They are
all proud that there exists a leader like Ilham Aliyev in the Muslim
world," the head of the Centre for Political Innovations and
Technologies, Mubariz Ahmadoglu, believes. "I would advise that
Iranian officials, including the head of the Iranian parliamentary
commission for foreign relations and security, Ala'eddin Borujerdi,
carry out a survey among our compatriots in Iran to find out about the
popularity of their leaders and of Ilham Aliyev. Even if the
Azerbaijani president's popularity rating does not exceed the rating
of Iranian leaders, then at least votes will be divided equally.
Tehran is concerned that Aliyev has influence over Iranians as a
whole, including ethnic Persians," Ahmadoglu said.
He said that after Ilham Aliyev was elected Azerbaijani president,
Shi'is in Turkey took a radical approach to the Karabakh issue. "They
immediately react to opportunistic statements by some forces in Turkey
and support the positions of Azerbaijan led by Ilham Aliyev. This also
worries Azerbaijan's enemies," he said.
[Passage omitted: more on Samadov's statement]
From: A. Papazian
Jan 8 2011
Iran again meddling in Azerbaijan's internal affairs
Excerpt from B. Safarov and N. Aliyev's report
[translated from Russian]
Comments made by representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran
following the Azerbaijani president's New Year address can be assessed
as an open interference by the Islamic Republic of Iran in
Azerbaijan's internal affairs.
"From the legal point of view, President Ilham Aliyev's New Year
speech is absolutely correct. The address is in line with the
celebration of New Year and the Day of Solidarity of Azerbaijanis of
the World," lawyer Elcin Qambarov told Ekho commenting on statements
by a number of Iranian officials and publications in some Iranian
media.
The expert noted that ethnic Azerbaijanis live in different parts of
the world. "Azerbaijan is an independent state, and all Azerbaijanis
of the world regard our country as their motherland," Qambarov
stressed.
It must be noted that the Iranian news agency Mehr reported that Ilham
Aliyev's New Year address, in which he, as the leader of all
Azerbaijanis of the world, congratulated the whole Azerbaijani people
on New Year and the Day of Solidarity of Azerbaijanis of the World,
had caused the outrage of the head of the Iranian parliamentary
commission for foreign relations and security, Ala'eddin Borujerdi.
Borujerdi said that Ilham Aliyev could not be the leader of ethnic
Azerbaijanis in Iran since they considered heads of the Iranian state
as their leaders.
"Ilham Aliyev is the president of Azerbaijan, and this does not give
him the right to be the leader of all Azerbaijanis," he said.
For its part, the Iranian website presstv.ir accused the Azerbaijani
leadership of pursuing an anti-Islamic policy and of having relations
with Tel-Aviv. The website recalled a recent protest by Muslim
believers staged outside the [Azerbaijani] Education Ministry over a
ban on wearing hijab at school. Iranian experts believe that this ban
is a concession made by the country's government to the West aimed at
the future accession to the European Union, an organization which has
not a single Muslim European country represented in it, either
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, or Turkey. At the same time,
Presstv.ir noted that over 24 per cent of Iran's population were
ethnic Azerbaijanis and that "they have never looked for a foreign
politician to become their leader".
Presstv.ir also advised that the Azerbaijani leadership should refrain
from statements that could "incite discord among different ethnic
groups in neighbouring countries".
[Passage omitted: about statements made by the leader of the
Azerbaijani Islamic Party, Movsum Samadov, calling for the overthrow
of the Ilham Aliyev government that was posted on YouTube]
"Ilham Aliyev is a leader who commands the respect of all Azerbaijanis
of the world, including our compatriots in Iran and Turkey. They are
all proud that there exists a leader like Ilham Aliyev in the Muslim
world," the head of the Centre for Political Innovations and
Technologies, Mubariz Ahmadoglu, believes. "I would advise that
Iranian officials, including the head of the Iranian parliamentary
commission for foreign relations and security, Ala'eddin Borujerdi,
carry out a survey among our compatriots in Iran to find out about the
popularity of their leaders and of Ilham Aliyev. Even if the
Azerbaijani president's popularity rating does not exceed the rating
of Iranian leaders, then at least votes will be divided equally.
Tehran is concerned that Aliyev has influence over Iranians as a
whole, including ethnic Persians," Ahmadoglu said.
He said that after Ilham Aliyev was elected Azerbaijani president,
Shi'is in Turkey took a radical approach to the Karabakh issue. "They
immediately react to opportunistic statements by some forces in Turkey
and support the positions of Azerbaijan led by Ilham Aliyev. This also
worries Azerbaijan's enemies," he said.
[Passage omitted: more on Samadov's statement]
From: A. Papazian