Iran Press/ Commentary: Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Foreign Ministers' Meeting titled "Non-Aligned Movement: united and steadfast in confronting emerging challenges" will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, July 5-6, in Baku, the capital of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, will sit down with some officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Problems between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan have intensified the importance of the meeting between the two countries Foreign Ministers.
In a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart on June 25, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov, emphasized the Iran-Azerbaijan direct negotiation in various fields and expressed hope for the further development of relations and tackling problems in the near future.
In the past few months, Azerbaijan has taken non-constructive actions towards Iran and has recently warned its citizens about traveling to Iran. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan referred to the armed attack, carried out by self-motivation, on its embassy in Tehran in January, once again called it a terrorist act, then closed its embassy in Tehran and advised the citizens of Azerbaijan to be careful when traveling to Iran.
At the same time, Nasser Kanaani, Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) spokesman, reacted to the action (advising citizens) of the Republic of Azerbaijan and said: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan has warned the citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan against traveling to Iran! This is the same policy the head of the Israeli Regime recently took during his trip to Baku."
Pointing to the Republic of Azerbaijan's alliances with Israel and the US regarding national interests, Khazar Ibrahim, the Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the US, told JNS: "Bilateral and trilateral relationships among the three countries are deep, broad and strategic, with high-level visits in all directions on a weekly basis." “Whatever we do with our partners, we do it for ourselves. We do it based on our national interests. We do it based on our shared values and vision," said Ibrahim. He further added: “We don’t do it against anybody else. We’re on the same page in the rules-based international order, and the more the rules-based international order is [prevalent] in the world, the better it is for our region and the world.”
Taking all the recent actions and statements of the authorities of the Republic of Azerbaijan about Iran shows a lack of seriousness in improving relations between the two countries. Third parties (Zionists) provocations widen the gap between Iran and Azerbaijan.
With a rational policy, the Islamic Republic of Iran values the expansion of cooperation with neighboring countries, including Azerbaijan, so Iran pursues political and security interactions to establish lasting peace and develop economic relations with its neighbors. But at the same time, Iran emphasizes that third parties, including Israel, in the region will threaten peace and stability.
Mohsen Pak-Ayin, the former ambassador of Iran to Azerbaijan, says: "One of the factors that has always sought to destroy the relations between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan are aware of it, is the Zionist regime whose close relationship with the Republic of Azerbaijan is not only against Iran but also against the Islamic world and Palestinian causes."
Connecting factors such as neighborhood, religious and historical commonalities, and shared economic and security interests require that Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as two neighboring countries, cooperate and coordinate in bilateral and regional relations. Accordingly, the Islamic Republic of Iran wants to take executive steps to de-escalate tension, maintain friendly relations between the two countries, and reconstruct the bilateral ties between the two countries.
Iranian Foreign Minister's visit to Baku, meeting with Azerbaijan officials, and participation in the discussion of the Foreign Ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement can also be evaluated in this framework.
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