Iran strongly protests to Azerbaijan over hostile local media campaign

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 Apr 2023 01:00

The Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson says Iran advises Azerbaijan to be aware of "Israel's" real intentions.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry (IRNA)

The Iranian Embassy in Baku sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, expressing its strong protest over the behavior of local Azerbaijani media, explaining that such behavior will have negative consequences on the relations between the two countries.

The public relations of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that after the continued "unprofessional and abusive" behavior by some media outlets in Azerbaijan, the Iranian Embassy in Baku sent a note of strong protest to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan.

In the protest note, the Iranian Embassy demanded an end to this campaign launched by the media against Tehran and compensation for it, warning of the "negative and destructive" consequences of the continuation of this media abuse on future relations between the two countries.

Iran advises Azerbaijan to be aware of "Israel's" real intentions

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said Iran had "asked the government of Azerbaijan to explain the statements of the foreign minister of the Zionist regime regarding the agreement with Azerbaijan to form a united front against Iran."

"The spokesperson of Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs sought not to respond and instead made new accusations against Iran," Kanaani said.

رژیم جنایتکار صهیونیستی از نزدیک شدن به کشورهای مسلمان، هدفی جز ایجاد اختلاف و چنددستگی در امت اسلامی برای تحقق مطامع توسعه‌طلبانه خود ندارد.

به برادران و خواهران مسلمان در آذربایجان توصیه می‌کنیم نسبت به نیات واقعی دشمن صهیونیستی هوشیار باشند. pic.twitter.com/PuWeOuIuYe
— Nasser Kanaani (@IRIMFA_SPOX) March 31, 2023

"Isn't the continuation of silence an implicit approval of the statements made by Baku's strategic partner [the Israeli occupation]?" the Iranian Spokesperson added.

Kanaani considered that "by getting closer to Muslim countries, the criminal Zionist regime seeks to create disputes and divisions in the Islamic Ummah to achieve its expansionist goals."

"We advise Muslim brothers and sisters in Azerbaijan to be aware of the real intentions of the Zionist enemy," the Iranian diplomat tweeted.

Kanaani's remarks come in response to the spokesperson of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Ministry who had wrongly accused Tehran of being involved in the assassination of an Azeri parliament member.

On Thursday, Israeli occupation Foreign Minister Eli Cohen held a meeting with his Azeri counterpart Jehan Bayramov, who arrived in "Israel" to inaugurate Azerbaijan's Embassy in "Tel Aviv".

Following the meeting, Cohen said, "Israel and Azerbaijan must work together to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear capability," adding, "I agreed with the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister to form a united front against Iran."

Tehran: Not be silent on Israeli plots from inside Azerbaijan

On Friday, Kanaani considered Cohen's statements yet another documentation "of the malicious intentions of the Zionist entity to turn the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan into a threat to Iran."

In a statement, the Spokesperson called for clarification from Azerbaijani officials regarding the recently announced agreement.

He also emphasized Iran's strong historical and religious relationship with Azerbaijan and explained that it has been trying to "avoid deepening the gap between the two countries."

However, Kanaani stressed that "Iran will certainly not remain silent in face of the conspiracies of the Zionist entity against it from within Azerbaijani territory."

Amir-Abdollahian to make phone call to his Saudi counterpart

In another context, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian confirmed on Saturday that he will make a phone call to his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, within the next two days, to discuss with him arranging a meeting soon.

"During the next 48 hours, I will make a phone call with the Saudi Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan, to set a date for our meeting," Amir-Abdollahian said.

The Iranian Foreign Minister stressed the importance of the meetings that take place between high-level officials in Iran and Saudi Arabia to complete the normalization of bilateral relations between the two, pointing out that this development will cater to achieving stability in the region.

Last week, the two foreign ministers discussed in a phone call the developments of the reestablishment of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Amir-Abdollahian and bin Farhan mainly talked about the process to restore all diplomatic ties and considered it a top priority between the two Islamic nations.

It is noteworthy that in early March, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore diplomatic relations and re-open their embassies following a series of talks brokered in Beijing, China under the auspices of Chinese President Xi Jinping.