Nuances and realities, or True face of Iranian President’s Yerevan visit

Today, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has launched his official visit to Yerevan upon his Armenian Counterpart Serzh Sargsyan’s invitation.

No doubts, where and when to pay an official or working visit is the right and affair of the head of any independent state.  However, realities and nuances of these visits should always be understood and taken into account. Ahmadinejad’s current visit takes place on the backdrop of a fairly large number of certain realities and nuances.
 
Let’s see, although Tehran, in the face of Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Ali Fethullah, stated that it always supported the independence and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, in fact, we see the opposite. Tehran has recently hosted a conference ‘A study of the Islamic movement in Azerbaijan’. The event voiced biased statements and accusations against Azerbaijan.

It is noteworthy that the Iranian clergy tries to introduce itself as advocates of the true Islamic values by supporting the welfare of Muslims ‘in words’  and sometimes voicing some statements. However, it does not oppose the president's visit to Armenia, as if forgetting that the hands of Serzh Sargsyan, who will shake Ahmadinejad’s hands, stained with the blood of Azerbaijani Muslims.

Why does the Iranian clergy revolt over any small event in the world, but is silent when the injustice is so clear? Supposedly, despite the crimes committed by Armenia against the Azerbaijani people, Ahmadinejad will speak in Yerevan about the eternity of the Persian-Armenian friendship…

After all, we have often witnessed a biased position towards Azerbaijan in the Iranian media. Iran’s this biased and openly disrespectful attitude is one of those nuances and certain realities mentioned above.


These doubts grow when we remember that Armenia survived during the Karabakh war just thanks to Iran. Moreover, Tehran, unlike fraternal Ankara, did not close its borders with the belligerent Armenia. Although, even Armenia’s former president Levon Ter-Petrosian has once stated that Armenia will suffocate if the economic ties with Iran terminated for two days. However, today we are witnesses of deepening Armenian-Iranian relations. The trade turnover between Armenia and Iran reaches $300 million per year, and the parties intend to bring this figure up to $ 1 billion.

Tehran and Yerevan are realizing four projects of strategic importance, including the project on construction of an Iran-Armenia oil terminal, project on railway construction, project on creation of the third high-voltage transmission lines and Araksk HPP. That is, Iran develops as far as can its relations with Armenia that occupied 20 percent of the Azerbaijani lands and that opposes just settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. So, the Iranian president will shake hands with Sargsyan, who was an active participant in the massacre of the Azerbaijani civilians in Khojaly in 1992.

Incidentally, the Mexican Senate has this week recognized the Khojaly events as the genocide. So far, the Iranian parliament has not accepted such a document.

This is a clear evidence to that how strongly Tehran’s statements on friendship and Islamic solidarity differs from its steps.

 These are the nuances and realities on the background of which Ahmadinejad is visiting Armenia.

Azerbaijan is not guilty in these developments. Baku has never allowed itself to interfere in Tehran’s internal affairs of Iran or publicly condemn Iran's politics. Azerbaijan believes the Iranian people are wise enough to decide by themselves how to build their future. It would be better if many in Iran learned not to interfere in internal affairs of neighboring states in an example of Baku. It can be considered from the aspect that, for example, Iran has always had, and still has all opportunities to join the Southern energy corridor. It just needs to reconsider its attitude to the existing realities.

However, instead taking utmost to remove the obstacles, Iran is ready to deepen mistrust in respect of itself by voicing a very incorrect statement against Azerbaijan and allowing itself to interfere in the internal affairs of Baku.

Recently, Iran has become a subject to additional strict sanctions from the West. Under these conditions, Armenia turns into the number one partner for Tehran. The Armenian media also recently had discussions about how Yerevan will act if the sanctions will be extended. Most Armenian experts sadly stated that Armenia, as a law-abiding country, is integrating into Europe and will be forced to adhere to the sanctions of international organizations. That is, simply put, cut the branch it sits on.

It is difficult to say how Tehran perceived these opinions. In any case, Iran now has the ability to import a number of "forbidden" goods through the Meghri corridor and the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Ahmadinejad’s forthcoming visit likely aims to strengthen and expand this cooperation.

These are the realities of the Iranian-Armenian relations and on the background of these realities and nuances, Iran's support for Armenia in the unresolved Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is seen just in a different light.


/Day.Az/