*Dr. Ahmad Kazemi

University professor of international law, senior researcher of Eurasia

 Q:

We have noticed concerns voiced by experts that Israel sought to establish a “second Israel” in Azerbaijan, something that would have serious security implications for Iran. What are the basis for these concerns and the relationship between Israel and Azerbaijan?

A:

The Republic of Azerbaijan has always held a special allure for the Israeli regime given its Shia majority population, strategic location as a buffer between Iran and Russia, and its abundant energy resources. A look at Tel Aviv’s actions in the Republic of Azerbaijan in the last three decades in diverse arenas including the political, military, security, economic, energy, cultural, educational (interference in the educational content of textbooks), historical (falsification of the history of the Republic of Azerbaijan centering on the claim of the existence of the Khazars ancient Jewish empire), urban architecture (promotion of Zionist and Masonic symbols in Baku and other cities), ethnicity (creating anti-Iranian ethnic networks), anti-Iranianism, anti-Shia and exaggeration of the number of Jews living in the Republic of Azerbaijan show that Israel does not pursue “ordinary goals” in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Zionist authorities have repeatedly referred to the Republic of Azerbaijan as the “second homeland of the Jews”, which, of course, is historically groundless. After the war in Ukraine, the Sochnut (Jewish Agency for Israel) office was moved from Moscow to Baku. Accordingly, flights between Baku and Tel Aviv increased several times. Sochnut has begun housing Jews in Baku in a cluster of apartments that had been built and kept empty for two decades. After that, one of the biggest “ethnic cleansings of the century” took place with the direct assistance of weapons from the Israeli regime and by Baku in September 2023 in Nagorno-Karabakh, which has been the historical habitat of Armenians. During this “ethnic cleansing” which was accompanied by the muted response from the “Christian world”, more than 120 thousand Armenians were expelled from Nagorno-Karabakh. Currently, the demographic change in the surrounding areas of Karabakh, such as Zangilan, Qubadli District, Aghdam, Kalbajar and Lachin, is underway under the cover of the creation of “smart villages” by Israeli companies, as well as the settlement of Takfiri families expelled from Syria; This issue is a prelude to the settlement of Jews in the “uninhabited Karabakh”. This is the reason why “Christian England” supports the ethnic cleansing of “Christian Armenians” from Nagorno-Karabakh. After the failure of the plan to create a “Second Israel” in the region of “Argentina’s Patagonia”, Israel is following this plan in the Republic of Azerbaijan; Because, in addition to geopolitical motivations, the Aliyev family, who according to some European institutions have the first rank of financial corruption in the world, have no will against the Israeli regime. Aliyev’s family has committed to the settlement of Zionists in Karabakh with the military support of Israel and the political support of England (in the Security Council) for the liberation of Karabakh. The policy of the Aliyev family has changed from Europeanism and Americanism (during the period of Heydar Aliyev during the years 1993-2003) to “Israelism” during the period of Elham Aliyev (since 2003). Today, despite the international protests against the widespread genocide of the Israeli regime in Gaza, Aliyev’s family is the largest supplier of oil needed by this regime.

Q: Iranian officials have recently and repeatedly emphasized a need for peace and stability in the Caucasus region, and yet conflict has continued to erupt, with Azerbaijan making important gains, often with support from Türkiye. How might instability in the Caucasus region affect Iran’s national security?

A:

The Caucasus has been a part of Iran for thousands of years, and historically, Iran is considered the “host country” in this region. The Caucasus is considered a part of Iran’s civilizational, cultural and historical domain. Both in the first and the second and third Karabakh wars, Iran’s position has been emphasizing the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of these countries, which is in line with the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter. Due to historical, cultural, religious and racial ties, as well as the existence of a long border with the Caucasus, Tehran is always sensitive to developments in this region. The developments after 2020 (the second Karabakh war) – which are based on geopolitical ambitions – affect not only the national security of Iran, but also the national security of Russia and China. Because the “Second Karabakh War” is a cover for the implementation of the “NATO Turani Corridor” a tension-generating plot. This corridor is supposed to form the so-called “Turkish World” with the English idea of ​​”Pan-Turanianism” from Türkiye to Central Asia and the Uyghur regions of China by dividing the South of Armenia (Syunik Province). As the “Turkish arm of NATO”, the Turkish world is going to plan the energy and transit equations of this region in a way that will harm Iran, Russia and China. The designers of the so-called “Turkish World” by launching an “ethnic corridor” aim to create ethnic faults in the Azeri and Turkmen areas of Iran, the Turkic and Tatar areas of Russia, and the Uyghur areas of China. Therefore, the developments after the Second Karabakh War are part of a “major conspiracy” to attack the geopolitical, geo-economic and geo-cultural interests of Iran, Russia and China in the process of “transition to the new world order”, and by using the capacities of the Caucasus region and Central Asia. For this reason, despite the liberation of Karabakh and all the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Baku’s territorial claims against Armenia continue. The Republic of Azerbaijan, which until a few years ago was unable to free even a meter of its territory without the permission of foreigners, now in the shadow of this “geopolitical conspiracy” and with the support of Türkiye, England and the Israeli regime, gave Armenia’s Syunik Province the fake name of “Western Zangzor” and technically threatened the territorial integrity of another country by violating the UN Charter. “Michael Rubin” in his article titled “Is Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev the New Saddam Hussein[1]?” has already raised the issue. There is no doubt that in accordance with the UN Charter and the mandatory rules of international law; Iran, China and Russia will not allow such border and geopolitical changes; Especially since Moscow has recently noticed new dimensions of the deceitful policies of Baku and Ankara in the Caucasus. At the same time, the formation of NATO’s Turani Corridor and the so-called Turkish world is a serious threat to the security of Europe as it will create aggressive Neo-Ottomanism in Türkiye; Therefore, the resolution of the European Parliament against the Republic of Azerbaijan in October 2023 and the recent positions of France towards Armenia are significant.

Q:

Iran has a substantial population of ethnic Azeris, some of whom have called for unification with Azerbaijan. How do concerns over separatism affect the relationship between Iran and Azerbaijan, as well as Iran’s relationship with Armenia?

A:

Regarding the Azeris, they have always been one of the proudest Iranian tribes and have played a crucial role in protecting Iran’s geographical, civilizational, cultural, and religious borders throughout history. The majority of the martyrs in wars between Iran and Russia in the early 19th century and during the separation of the Caucasus from Iran were Azeris. Additionally, the majority of martyrs in the Chaldaran War (1514) against the Ottoman Turks were also Azeris. Azeris have been instrumental in “shaping” Iran’s history, from the Constitutional Revolution of Iran to the Islamic Revolution, and have always stood for Iran’s authority and promotion. There has never been an indigenous separatist movement in Azeri areas of Iran; instead, artificial and foreign-backed movements have been attempted by entities such as the Russian tsars, Stalinist Soviets, and the Ottomans, all of which have failed due to the resilience of the Azeris. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, despite attempts by Baku and other countries to create ethnic divisions in Iran, there is no concern about so-called “Azeri separatism” due to the proud and heroic history of Azeris. For this reason, since 2010, Iran has unilaterally cancelled visas for citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan and created facilities at the borders for the citizens of this country to travel to Iran. However, Baku has not only cancelled visas for Iranians, but has also closed its land borders with Iran and the Azeri regions of Iran for more than three years. This move, under the pretext of outbreak of Covid 19, is unprecedented and has revived the iron borders of Stalin’s era. Before that, in 2005, Baku unilaterally cancelled the “Border Crossing Facilitation” contract for border crossings between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. All these show that the Aliyev family is afraid of their people’s communication with the people of Iran, especially the Azeris of Iran. The Azeris of Iran, in continuation of the same “historical mission” that they have fulfilled in the Caucasus, have become sensitive to the anti-Islamic and de-Iranization policies in the Caucasus. The Azeris of Iran are upset that their fellow Azeris have fallen victim to the ambitions of the Aliyev family in the Republic of Azerbaijan. Apart from these issues, today in the Republic of Azerbaijan, in line with the realization of pan-Turanianism, the idea of “Turkification of Azeris” is being pursued. Unprecedentedly, with the systematic actions of the governments of Baku and Ankara, the “Azerbaijani identity” is in serious danger. The policies of the Baku government have not only led to the destruction and “Turkification” of the Azeri language, culture, identity, and traditions but also given rise to anti-Shia sentiments. This issue has further distressed the Iranian Azeris. Therefore, Iran’s policies towards the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia are not based on an ethnic perspective. Rather, Iran emphasizes respecting the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of countries. For this reason, when the Armenian separatists attempted to occupy the lands of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the First Karabakh War (1991-1994), Iran condemned it and provided practical support to Baku. Even now, as the Republic of Azerbaijan threatens the territorial integrity of Armenia in line with the conspiracy of the “Turani Corridor of NATO,” Iran has announced that any attempt to create geopolitical changes in the region is Tehran’s red line.

[1] . https://www.aei.org/op-eds/is-azerbaijans-ilham-aliyev-the-new-saddam-hussein/