IRANIAN ENVOY DENIES TIES WITH ARMENIA AIMED AGAINST AZERBAIJAN

ANS TV, Baku
29 Jul 07

The Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan has said that relations with
Armenia are not aimed against Azerbaijan.

"Iran’s ties with Azerbaijan are not aimed against other
countries. Having said this, Iran’s ties with other countries should
not be considered against the Azerbaijani Republic," Naser Hamidi
Za’re told ANS TV’s "Zamana" programme on 29 July, commenting on the
impact of the recent Iranian-Armenian joint energy projects on ties
with Azerbaijan.

The ambassador said that Iran had always supported Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity and that his country did not approve actions
running counter to this principle, including the 19 July presidential
election held in the breakaway Azerbaijani region of Nagornyy Karabakh.

Asked about reasons for the US concern over Turkish-Iranian energy
cooperation, the envoy said that "we have witnessed the democracy of
those who created Guantanamo and tortured people in the Abu Ghraib
prison. People know themselves where to get their energy resources."

Speaking about the current state of Iran’s nuclear programme, Za’re
said that "the nuclear programme has already ended and solved… What
we want is sensible and logical."

Za’re praised the course of the talks between the five Caspian
littoral states on the sea’s legal status. He noted a rapprochement
in the Azerbaijani and Iranian positions on the issue.

"Last time the foreign ministers met. Both sides were satisfied. I
myself attended the discussions and thank God, everything was very
positive," Za’re said.

Asked about the impact on Azerbaijani-Iranian ties if Russia and the
USA agreed on the joint use of the Qabala radar station, the envoy
said that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev "has said that Azerbaijan
will not let its territory be used against Iran. The Iranian president
is also standing like a lion and you can see the results."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress