Shahinoglu made this statement to Minval.az, commenting on excerpts from the Azerbaijani president’s interview with local TV channels regarding Azerbaijan-Iran relations.
Ilham Aliyev reminded that an organized terrorist attack was carried out against Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tehran: “There were many factors indicating this.”
“Firstly, for about 40 minutes, no police car arrived at the scene, despite it happening in the center of the capital. The next day, the terrorist was immediately declared mentally ill, even though any medical examination takes several days. That same day, the individual who committed the attack gave an interview to the media. Two years have passed since the incident, and to this day, the verdict against this person has not been executed. All this suggests that it was organized,” the president emphasized.
According to Elkhan Shahinoglu, President Ilham Aliyev explained in detail the reasons behind the tension in relations between the two countries in response to a journalist’s question.
“The head of state’s remarks clarified that Azerbaijan’s restoration of sovereignty over Karabakh alarmed not only France but also Iran. According to the president, just as France perceived Azerbaijan’s victory as its own defeat, the same can be said about Iran. This is evidenced by Ilham Aliyev’s comments about the fuel Iran was supplying to Karabakh separatists through Armenia,” the expert stated.
The political analyst also addressed provocative actions from the Iranian side, particularly after Ayatollah in Ardabil made offensive statements about Azerbaijan’s leadership on state television. In response, Baku handed a protest note to Iran’s acting chargé d’affaires.
“This is not the first time that Seyyed Hassan Ameli, the imam of the Juma Mosque in Ardabil, whom the head of state called a ‘provincial mullah,’ has insulted him and the Azerbaijani people. In this regard, Ilham Aliyev posed a rhetorical question: ‘What does the person who appointed him to this position (referring to Iran’s Supreme Religious Leader) think about the offensive remarks of a provincial mullah?’ In other words, the head of state pointed out that the provincial mullah is not speaking independently but is being directed by others,” the political analyst noted.
Commenting on relations between Baku and Tehran, Shahinoglu added: “Unfortunately, individuals like Ameli do not want to establish normal relations between the two countries and therefore defend the terrorist who attacked the Azerbaijani embassy in Iran.”
