Azerbaijani analyst: Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation's recent visit to Iran to boost Azerbaijan-Iran ties

How do you assess the visit of the enlarged Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation led by Speaker Ogtay Asadov to the Islamic Republic of Iran?

I assess it as a very positive step that will contribute to further development of Azerbaijani-Iranian relations. Relations between our countries are already successfully expanded primarily in mutually beneficial trade. Both Azerbaijan and Iran are interested in this. In particular, given the status of the Azerbaijani delegation that traveled to Iran, our countries attach enough importance to their further deepening.

What are your comments on a statement by Iranian parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani that Iran will spare no effort to help resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia?

This is quite common statement by a head of the parliament of a country that hosts head of the parliament of another state. Generally speaking, Iran is unable to influence the settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and its opinion in this conflict is of secondary importance. Positions of world's leading superpowers which do not take real steps to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, preferring to benefit from the existing status quo, are far more important in this respect.

Azerbaijan has fraternal and strategic relationship with Turkey, it maintains very warm relations with Georgia and successfully developing relations with Russia and Iran. Can we say that Armenia is becoming a rogue state in the region on the backdrop of existing alignment of forces?

Expanding Azerbaijani-Iranian relations have nothing to do and do not depend on state of the Iranian-Armenian relations, and on Armenia’s current situation which really leaves much to be desired. Relations between our countries are based on mutual benefit: Azerbaijan receives its dividends from the development of relations with Iran, and Iran, in its turn, benefits from deepening relations with Azerbaijan. Similar words could be said about the nature of the Azerbaijani-Turkish, Azerbaijani-Georgian and Azerbaijani-Russian relations. As for Armenia, it has its own state interests, and it defends them through techniques it deems to be necessary.

What influence do the warm Azerbaijani-Iranian ties have on Azerbaijan’s relations with Iran?

Undoubtedly, Iran can formally or informally express dissatisfaction with the deepening of the Azerbaijani-Israeli relations, but these statements will not change relations between Baku and Tel Aviv. This is understandable: development of Azerbaijan's relations with any state, including those with Israel, is Azerbaijan’s own affairs. Moreover, the Azerbaijani-Israeli relations do not affect the Azerbaijani-Iranian relations and are not anti-Iranian in nature. They are based on mutual benefit. As for the Iranian-Israeli relations, these are personal matters of those two states.

A. Hasanov