Former FM: Iranian statements reflect internal contradictions

The reasons cited by the Iranian side when explaining their concern about the security of their borders, are illogical and contradictory, they are constantly changing, Tofig Zulfugarov, a diplomat and former foreign minister of Azerbaijan, told Report, commenting on the recent interview of Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian to the media of this country.

First, the borders of Armenia are guarded by the border guards of the Russian Federal Security Service, and it is included in the zone of responsibility of the CSTO, of which it is a member.

“It is some kind of political surrealism...,” Zulfugarov noted, expressing his attitude to Iran’s concern over the security issues of Armenia.

Secondly, Iran, represented by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), found a non-existent ‘Zionist threat’ on the border with Azerbaijan, while in Syria, where it is present on the border with Israel at the invitation of the authorities of this country, the corps doesn’t feel such a threat.

Zulfugarov added that all these actions of Iran and the statements of the new leadership of the country are a direct result of internal contradictions among neighbors, disagreements in the political establishment, especially after the new leadership came to power following the elections.

“It is obvious that such actions ahead of the Vienna talks on the Iranian nuclear program, which with a great probability will end with positive agreements and will allow the resumption of Iranian oil exports, speak of something. Namely, there are forces inside the country that are not interested in this. In particular, the IRGC, which during the period of sanctions seriously strengthened its political and financial power,” said the expert.

“The goal is to refocus attention and create a manageable crisis. So, they expect to ‘play’ against our allies, first of all, Turkey, and into the hands of the anti-Turkish forces in the west. In this situation, it is best for Azerbaijan to ignore such attacks. We shouldn’t play by their rules and get involved in such intrigues,” Zulfugarov said.

In his opinion, Azerbaijan even benefits from such a designation of priorities from Iran - support and sympathy for Armenia, and open hostility to Baku. Azerbaijan can take advantage of this when building its policy, he added.

“This also gives certain signals for those countries that have their own position in relation to Iran, considering it a destructive force. And this, in turn, can be projected onto Armenia and help a better understanding of the realities in the region,” Zulfugarov said.