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Today's Zaman, Turkey
April 8 2012
Uncertainty over Israeli presence on Azerbaijani airbases lingers
8 April 2012 / LAMIYA ADILGIZI, Ä°STANBUL
Information has surfaced that Israel has access to Azerbaijani
airbases, a claim Azerbaijan vehemently denied on March 29.
Access to these airbases would make it easier for Israel to strike
the Islamic Republic of Iran, which many say is seeking to develop
nuclear technology. According to a report published by Foreign Policy
on March 29, Israel has gained access to airbases in southern
Azerbaijan, bordering Iran.
Reacting to the news published in FP, Azerbaijan denied the
allegations, calling them untrue. In an interview with AFP,
Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense spokesman Teymur Abdullayev said the
claims seek to `damage relations between Azerbaijan and Iran,' adding
that `there will be no actions against Iran ¦ from the territory of
Azerbaijan.'
In an interview with Sunday's Zaman, Rovshan Ibrahimov, the head of
department of foreign policy analysis of the Baku-based Strategic
Research Center, operating under the Presidency of the Republic of
Azerbaijan, called the article, written by FP's Mark Perry,
irresponsible and based on falsehoods and an incomplete analysis.
`Israel is interested in dragging the US into a long-awaited war with
Iran,' said Ibrahimov. `The target is to have Azerbaijan play an
active role in any possible war in the region.' Ibrahimov reiterated
the official stance of Azerbaijan, stating that the country will be
neither a political nor a military platform for any third country
against its neighbor, Iran.
Azerbaijan regularly states that it will maintain its neutrality if
any conflict erupts in the region, referring to the probable conflict
in the region between its strategic partner, Israel, and Iran.
Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiyev reiterated Azerbaijan's
stance during his official visit to the Iranian capital, where the
senior Azerbaijani official publicly rejected any possible use of
Azerbaijani soil for a strike against Iran. `The Republic of
Azerbaijan, as has always been the case in the past, will never permit
any country to use its land or air against the Islamic Republic of
Iran, which we consider our brother and a friendly country,' Abiyev
said during a meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in
Tehran.
Talking to Sunday's Zaman, Benedetta Berti, associate fellow at the
Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), says
the main issue is not Azerbaijan giving permission for the use of its
airfields to strike Iran or whether there will be any attack against
Iran, but whether the US will give its OK to the military strike.
`The recent leaks regarding Azerbaijan's airfields point to the fact
that Israel could have found a way to make its military operation
against Iran easier,' says Berti, adding that the ultimate decision to
go to war is not linked to tactical or logistical issues, but to
political will.
Berti believes Israel will act even if Washington stands opposed to
the operation. `It will depend on the Israeli assessment of the threat
and on the role played by the US,' she says.
Jonathan Levack, a program officer with the foreign policy program of
the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV), said in an
interview with Sunday's Zaman that the Israeli-Azerbaijani alliance in
the region can theoretically increase the risk of an Israeli strike on
Iran. However, he thinks it would reduce some of the operational
challenges Israel might face. Assessing Azerbaijan's assistance to any
Israeli strikes on Iran, Levack says the risk of a strike on Iran is
speculation at this stage. `The most important factors governing a
potential Israeli strike against Iran are the Israelis' perception of
security, or more to the point insecurity, the current US
administration's ability to persuade Tel Aviv that military action is
unwise and the US presidential election,' he says.
Israeli airfields in Azerbaijan may affect Turkish-Azerbaijani relations
Turkey and Azerbaijan enjoy common cultural, linguistic and ethnic
ties with a close and cordial relationship based on a strategic
alliance. They are considered `brotherly countries' due to this ethnic
kinship. Both countries enjoy good economic and political cooperation
based on blossoming bilateral relations.
Baku is developing its relations with Israel based on a bilateral
military deal signed in February which supplies $1.6 billion in arms,
including anti-aircraft and missile defense systems, from Israel to
Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is in fact at war with its neighbor Armenia
over Nagorno-Karabakh, a predominantly Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan,
and seven adjacent territories that were occupied by Armenia in
1992-1994, when Armenia and Azerbaijan were engaged in a full-fledged
armed conflict. Turkey came to Azerbaijan's defense by closing its
border with Armenia in a symbolic show of support.
Azerbaijan has so far been very careful in this respect, trying to
keep good and balanced relations with both Turkey and Israel.
However, Berti thinks that the recent rumors regarding Israel's access
to airfields and the disclosure of the arms deal may upset this
balance. `Turkey is not pleased about these developments, especially
as the country has an interest in defusing the potential of a war
against Iran,' says Berti. However, the expert is skeptical whether
there is going to be a short-term crisis in the region, adding that
Turkey is closely watching what happens in Azerbaijan. `The prospect
of an Israeli attack on Iran from Azerbaijani airfields would make the
relations between the two countries very tense,' claimed Berti.
April 8 2012
Uncertainty over Israeli presence on Azerbaijani airbases lingers
8 April 2012 / LAMIYA ADILGIZI, Ä°STANBUL
Information has surfaced that Israel has access to Azerbaijani
airbases, a claim Azerbaijan vehemently denied on March 29.
Access to these airbases would make it easier for Israel to strike
the Islamic Republic of Iran, which many say is seeking to develop
nuclear technology. According to a report published by Foreign Policy
on March 29, Israel has gained access to airbases in southern
Azerbaijan, bordering Iran.
Reacting to the news published in FP, Azerbaijan denied the
allegations, calling them untrue. In an interview with AFP,
Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense spokesman Teymur Abdullayev said the
claims seek to `damage relations between Azerbaijan and Iran,' adding
that `there will be no actions against Iran ¦ from the territory of
Azerbaijan.'
In an interview with Sunday's Zaman, Rovshan Ibrahimov, the head of
department of foreign policy analysis of the Baku-based Strategic
Research Center, operating under the Presidency of the Republic of
Azerbaijan, called the article, written by FP's Mark Perry,
irresponsible and based on falsehoods and an incomplete analysis.
`Israel is interested in dragging the US into a long-awaited war with
Iran,' said Ibrahimov. `The target is to have Azerbaijan play an
active role in any possible war in the region.' Ibrahimov reiterated
the official stance of Azerbaijan, stating that the country will be
neither a political nor a military platform for any third country
against its neighbor, Iran.
Azerbaijan regularly states that it will maintain its neutrality if
any conflict erupts in the region, referring to the probable conflict
in the region between its strategic partner, Israel, and Iran.
Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiyev reiterated Azerbaijan's
stance during his official visit to the Iranian capital, where the
senior Azerbaijani official publicly rejected any possible use of
Azerbaijani soil for a strike against Iran. `The Republic of
Azerbaijan, as has always been the case in the past, will never permit
any country to use its land or air against the Islamic Republic of
Iran, which we consider our brother and a friendly country,' Abiyev
said during a meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in
Tehran.
Talking to Sunday's Zaman, Benedetta Berti, associate fellow at the
Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), says
the main issue is not Azerbaijan giving permission for the use of its
airfields to strike Iran or whether there will be any attack against
Iran, but whether the US will give its OK to the military strike.
`The recent leaks regarding Azerbaijan's airfields point to the fact
that Israel could have found a way to make its military operation
against Iran easier,' says Berti, adding that the ultimate decision to
go to war is not linked to tactical or logistical issues, but to
political will.
Berti believes Israel will act even if Washington stands opposed to
the operation. `It will depend on the Israeli assessment of the threat
and on the role played by the US,' she says.
Jonathan Levack, a program officer with the foreign policy program of
the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV), said in an
interview with Sunday's Zaman that the Israeli-Azerbaijani alliance in
the region can theoretically increase the risk of an Israeli strike on
Iran. However, he thinks it would reduce some of the operational
challenges Israel might face. Assessing Azerbaijan's assistance to any
Israeli strikes on Iran, Levack says the risk of a strike on Iran is
speculation at this stage. `The most important factors governing a
potential Israeli strike against Iran are the Israelis' perception of
security, or more to the point insecurity, the current US
administration's ability to persuade Tel Aviv that military action is
unwise and the US presidential election,' he says.
Israeli airfields in Azerbaijan may affect Turkish-Azerbaijani relations
Turkey and Azerbaijan enjoy common cultural, linguistic and ethnic
ties with a close and cordial relationship based on a strategic
alliance. They are considered `brotherly countries' due to this ethnic
kinship. Both countries enjoy good economic and political cooperation
based on blossoming bilateral relations.
Baku is developing its relations with Israel based on a bilateral
military deal signed in February which supplies $1.6 billion in arms,
including anti-aircraft and missile defense systems, from Israel to
Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is in fact at war with its neighbor Armenia
over Nagorno-Karabakh, a predominantly Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan,
and seven adjacent territories that were occupied by Armenia in
1992-1994, when Armenia and Azerbaijan were engaged in a full-fledged
armed conflict. Turkey came to Azerbaijan's defense by closing its
border with Armenia in a symbolic show of support.
Azerbaijan has so far been very careful in this respect, trying to
keep good and balanced relations with both Turkey and Israel.
However, Berti thinks that the recent rumors regarding Israel's access
to airfields and the disclosure of the arms deal may upset this
balance. `Turkey is not pleased about these developments, especially
as the country has an interest in defusing the potential of a war
against Iran,' says Berti. However, the expert is skeptical whether
there is going to be a short-term crisis in the region, adding that
Turkey is closely watching what happens in Azerbaijan. `The prospect
of an Israeli attack on Iran from Azerbaijani airfields would make the
relations between the two countries very tense,' claimed Berti.