Iran Warns Azerbaijan of Exploiting Third Parties to Threaten Its Security

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan (EPA)
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan (EPA)
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Iran Warns Azerbaijan of Exploiting Third Parties to Threaten Its Security

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan (EPA)
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan (EPA)

Iran affirmed its "good" relations with Azerbaijan, despite Tehran's accusation that the military maneuvers on the border are being used to launch Israeli activity, which Baku denies.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry warned Azerbaijan against allowing "third parties" to act against it, saying it knows "how to maintain its security."

Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said that Armenia shares Iran's concern about the alleged Israeli presence in Azerbaijan.

Amirabdollahian said at a joint press conference in Tehran with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan that "we are witnessing the presence of foreign terrorists and the destructive activities of the Zionist regime in the region."

In a press conference, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that the Armenian foreign minister's visit to Tehran was pre-scheduled to expand bilateral relations.

The spokesman said his country enjoys good relations with both Baku and Yerevan, and its relations with one nation are not against another, according to a report by the Iranian news agency (IRNA).

Khatibzadeh was asked about "the presence of terrorists" in Azerbaijan near the Iranian border. He indicated that Iran had received reports on this issue since the war between Baku and Yerevan.

"We have informed our friends in Baku, and they asserted during the various meetings that there is no threat to other countries."

Turkey brought "Syrian mercenaries" from northern Syria to Azerbaijan to help fight against Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh region last year.

Khatibzadeh noted that Tehran informed Baku from the beginning that it recognizes Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and national sovereignty, and it helped preserve it.

Baku should not allow its borders and country to be used by third parties against Iran, asserted the spokesman.

"Iran knows how to maintain its security, and it is only right that Baku fulfills its sovereign duties," said Khatibzadeh about allegations that the Israelis used Azerbaijan's territory to conduct activities inside Iran.

Khatibzadeh addressed the joint Turkish-Azerbaijani drills in Nakhchivan, saying everyone must help bring peace, stability, and calm to this region.

"Unfortunately, many military maneuvers have been conducted in this region without any justification during the past weeks."

Turkey and Azerbaijan launched their joint military maneuvers days after Iran started similar drills near its border.

Turkish Defense Ministry spokeswoman Pinar Kara said the "Steadfast Brotherhood-2021" drill would occur in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan, between 5-8 October.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan rejected allegations of foreign intervention in its affairs, saying it pursues an independent policy based on national interests.

"We do not accept the allegations about the presence of any third forces near the Azerbaijan-Iran border … these views have no basis," Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva said.

She emphasized the importance of "friendly and good-neighborly relations with neighboring countries."

Abdullayeva stressed that Azerbaijan supports the establishment of relations with all countries based on respect for each other's international borders, which is the unchanging position of the country.

She recalled that Azerbaijan has suffered for decades from the military occupation of part of its territory and the violation of its international borders.

The spokesperson stressed that the inviolability of internationally recognized borders is one of the fundamental principles Azerbaijan has always been guided by.



Israeli Envoy Ejected from AU Meeting on Rwandan Genocide

 Young Rwandans hug as they are waiting to start walking at the "Walk to Remember" for the commemorations of the 31th Anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide in Kigali on April 7, 2025. (AFP)
Young Rwandans hug as they are waiting to start walking at the "Walk to Remember" for the commemorations of the 31th Anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide in Kigali on April 7, 2025. (AFP)
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Israeli Envoy Ejected from AU Meeting on Rwandan Genocide

 Young Rwandans hug as they are waiting to start walking at the "Walk to Remember" for the commemorations of the 31th Anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide in Kigali on April 7, 2025. (AFP)
Young Rwandans hug as they are waiting to start walking at the "Walk to Remember" for the commemorations of the 31th Anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide in Kigali on April 7, 2025. (AFP)

Israel's ambassador to Ethiopia was ejected from a conference at African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa commemorating the 31st anniversary of Rwanda's genocide against the Tutsi, two diplomats told AFP on Tuesday.

It was not immediately clear why Ambassador Avraham Neguise was asked to leave the event on Monday, held to mark the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda, which left at least 800,000 people dead in 1994.

Neguise participated in the first part of the event, a solidarity march inside AU headquarters, an Arab diplomat said.

"After that, the AU commission chairperson, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, refused to start the event inside the hall in the presence of the Israeli ambassador and asked him to get out," the diplomat said, requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

"The Israeli ambassador left."

Another diplomatic source said the ambassador had been "sitting in a very visible seat, close to the Americans, and everything was delayed until he was asked to leave".

The source said it was unclear whether the move was a protest by AU member states over Israel's war in Gaza.

The Times of Israel quoted the Israeli foreign ministry as saying: "It is outrageous that at an event commemorating the victims of the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda, to which the Israeli ambassador in Addis Ababa was invited, (Youssouf) chose to introduce anti-Israel political elements."

Youssouf's spokesperson did not immediately respond to AFP's requests for comment.

It is not the first time Israel's presence has stirred criticism within the pan-African organization.

In 2022, the AU failed to conclude discussions on the contested accreditation of Israel as an observer country.

Algeria and South Africa, two financial heavyweights of the organization, particularly argued against the move.

Both countries have rifts with Israel: Algeria has no diplomatic ties with Israel, in protest over its treatment of the Palestinians, while South Africa has brought a case before the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.

In 2023, an Israeli diplomat was also expelled from the AU assembly.

Youssouf, a Djiboutian national, took office as AU commission chairperson in February after serving nearly 20 years as foreign minister of the small Horn of Africa country.