Tweet
IRAN RECALLS ENVOY TO AZERBAIJAN AMID DISPUTE
Journal of Turkish Weekly
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/136540/iran-recalls-envoy-to-azerbaijan-amid-dispute.html
May 22 2012
Iran has recalled its envoy to Azerbaijan, amid a dispute between
the neighboring countries as Baku prepares to host the Eurovision
song contest.
Iran's embassy in Baku says Ambassador Mohammad Bagher Bahrami left
for Tehran on Monday for talks on what the embassy called the "insult
of religious saints."
Azerbaijani protesters rallied outside the Iranian Embassy in Baku
last week to denounce Iran's perceived anti-Azerbaijani policies and
the violation of the rights of the Azerbaijani people in Iran.
During the rally, demonstrators held up photos of Iran's president,
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and the country's spiritual leader, Ayatollah
Khamenei, in efforts to mock the two men.
Separately, Azerbaijani police arrested several protesters trying
to draw attention to human rights violations in Azerbaijan, during
a march on Monday in Baku.
Azerbaijan comes under global scrutiny on Tuesday with the start of
Eurovision, Europe's biggest songfest.
Baku is seeking to use the contest to boost its image. An estimated
120 million people worldwide will watch Eurovision.
Meanwhile, Armenia says it is boycotting the Eurovision song contest.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have long engaged in a dispute about the
enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, a majority ethnic Armenian region deep
inside Azerbaijan.
The region declared independence from Azerbaijan in 1988, triggering
a six-year war that claimed 35,000 lives and left more than 1 million
people homeless.
International efforts to broker a peace deal have failed, and border
tensions between Armenian-backed forces and Azerbaijani troops
remain high.
The Eurovision semifinal competition is on Tuesday and the final is
on Saturday.
Journal of Turkish Weekly
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/136540/iran-recalls-envoy-to-azerbaijan-amid-dispute.html
May 22 2012
Iran has recalled its envoy to Azerbaijan, amid a dispute between
the neighboring countries as Baku prepares to host the Eurovision
song contest.
Iran's embassy in Baku says Ambassador Mohammad Bagher Bahrami left
for Tehran on Monday for talks on what the embassy called the "insult
of religious saints."
Azerbaijani protesters rallied outside the Iranian Embassy in Baku
last week to denounce Iran's perceived anti-Azerbaijani policies and
the violation of the rights of the Azerbaijani people in Iran.
During the rally, demonstrators held up photos of Iran's president,
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and the country's spiritual leader, Ayatollah
Khamenei, in efforts to mock the two men.
Separately, Azerbaijani police arrested several protesters trying
to draw attention to human rights violations in Azerbaijan, during
a march on Monday in Baku.
Azerbaijan comes under global scrutiny on Tuesday with the start of
Eurovision, Europe's biggest songfest.
Baku is seeking to use the contest to boost its image. An estimated
120 million people worldwide will watch Eurovision.
Meanwhile, Armenia says it is boycotting the Eurovision song contest.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have long engaged in a dispute about the
enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, a majority ethnic Armenian region deep
inside Azerbaijan.
The region declared independence from Azerbaijan in 1988, triggering
a six-year war that claimed 35,000 lives and left more than 1 million
people homeless.
International efforts to broker a peace deal have failed, and border
tensions between Armenian-backed forces and Azerbaijani troops
remain high.
The Eurovision semifinal competition is on Tuesday and the final is
on Saturday.