Baku: Nasib Nasibli: "There Is Always A Threat Of Terrorist Acts Aga

NASIB NASIBLI: "THERE IS ALWAYS A THREAT OF TERRORIST ACTS AGAINST AZERBAIJAN BY ARMENIANS"

Today.Az
11 August 2008 [13:33]

Day.Az interview with Nasib Nasibli, Azerbaijani parliament member
and former ambassador of Azerbaijan to Iran.

– How would you comment on information, spread by some local medias
that Iran and Armenia have established a large scale cooperation of
intelligence services with most aspects of it directly and indirectly
targeting against Azerbaijan?

– I am not an expert in the activity of special services, therefore,
it is difficult for me to assess the possibility of joining efforts
of the special services of Iran and Armenia, reveal the degree of
its orientation against Azerbaijan. But undoubtedly, comprehensive
deepening of the Armenian-Iranian relations really takes place.

These contacts between the representatives of both countries are
diverse, which allows to assume the possibility of contacts between the
special services of Iran and Armenia, which has a logical explanation,
for one of the discussed countries, Armenia, has occupied 20% of our
lands and therefore, due to the unsettled Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict,
it considers Azerbaijan to be its possible enemy.

The second discussed country, Iran, also has strained relations
with Azerbaijan. Such a quo status is explained not only by the
discrepancies between official Baku and Tehran in any geopolitical
issues, but also by the factor of South Azerbaijan and tens of millions
of our compatriots, residing in Iran.

As is known, the Iranian leadership is extremely discriminatory
towards Azerbaijanis, residing in the Iranian territory. It means that
there are all conditions for significant and comprehensive closing
of ties between Iran and Armenia. Moreover, it is also possible that
significant thaw in the Armenian-Iranian relations is connected with
the boring tendency "to be friends against someone", in this case
against Azerbaijan.

Though, both Iran and Armenia may reject Azerbaijan’s fact as a reason
of deepening ties between these countries.

– What should official Baku do in this connection?

– First of all, official Baku should closely watch the nature of
deepening Armenian-Iranian relations and study any signals, proving
their anti-Azerbaijani nature in details. Moreover, official Baku
should inform official Tehran of its worries about the possible
anti-Azerbaijani orientation of the Armenian-Iranian relations.

As now Iran frequently voices demands to Azerbaijan to reduce the level
of Azerbaijani-Israeli and Azerbaijani-American relations, our country
will also have a right to demand from Iran to narrow relations with
Armenia, which is an aggressor country, occupying Azerbaijan’s lands.

– Is there a threat of terror acts in Azerbaijan, organized by world
Armenians?

– There has always been a threat of terrorist acts in Azerbaijan
by the world Armenians and our law enforcement bodies, especially,
National Security Ministry, should always be ready for such attempts.

– Can Azerbaijan rely on the support of any countries in the sense
of resisting threats to national security by Armenia and Iran?

– Certainly, it can. In this connection it should be reminded that in
2001, when Iranian planes violated the air space of Azerbaijan and
demonstrated the threat of force against our country, the Turkish
side demonstrated open readiness to support Azerbaijan in ensuring
the national security of our country.

Moreover, contacts between special services of Azerbaijan and Iran
are quite wide, which gives certain guarantees to security of our
country and its protection from world terror.