Expert: Tehran unhappy with economic, political progress in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan’s economic progress and the important role of this country in regional energy security and European energy security are not pleasing to Tehran, Washington-based senior foreign policy advisor & energy strategist Umud Shokri told Report.

“Azerbaijani identity in Iran grew and expanded after the liberation of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan after the Second Karabakh War. During the war, the Azerbaijani people of Iran declared their support for the Azerbaijani army in the border areas. They even blocked the movement of Russian trucks that were transporting weapons to Armenia through Iran. The economic, social and political progress of the Republic of Azerbaijan is carefully monitored by Tehran,” he noted.

“From the perspective of the Islamic Republic, the progress of the Republic of Azerbaijan affects the Azerbaijanis of Iran. This means that the economic progress of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the important role of this country in regional energy security and European energy security are not pleasing to Tehran. In recent years, Iranian Azerbaijani people have repeatedly protested against systematic discrimination in Iran. On International Mother Language Day, people always demanded education in their mother tongue.”

“If the Islamic Republic wants to gain the satisfaction of the people of Azerbaijan, Iran, it should eliminate discrimination, implement balanced development in all provinces of the country, make the necessary investment in the infrastructure of the regions of Azerbaijan, Iran, and provide the conditions for the teaching and learning of the Azerbaijani language in the schools of the region.”