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.



Russia Has Decided 'at Highest Level' to Remove Taliban from Terrorist List

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shakes hands with Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan's Taliban movement Amir Khan Muttaqi during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, October 4, 2024. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shakes hands with Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan's Taliban movement Amir Khan Muttaqi during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, October 4, 2024. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
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Russia Has Decided 'at Highest Level' to Remove Taliban from Terrorist List

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shakes hands with Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan's Taliban movement Amir Khan Muttaqi during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, October 4, 2024. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shakes hands with Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan's Taliban movement Amir Khan Muttaqi during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, October 4, 2024. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Friday that a decision to remove the Taliban from a list of terrorist organizations had been "taken at the highest level", the state TASS news agency reported.
The decision needs to be followed up with various legal procedures in order to make it a reality, President Vladimir Putin's special representative on Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, was quoted as saying.
Putin said in July that Russia considered Afghanistan's Taliban movement an ally in the fight against terrorism.
Russia has been slowly building ties with the Taliban since it seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as US-led forces withdrew after 20 years of war but the movement is still officially outlawed in Russia.
No country has formally recognized the Taliban as the country's legitimate leadership.
Russia added the Taliban to its list of terrorist organizations in 2003. Removing it would be an important step by Moscow towards normalizing relations with Afghanistan.
The Taliban's acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said in a speech in Moscow that recent decisions by Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to remove the former insurgents from a list of banned groups was a welcome step.
"We also appreciate the positive remarks by the high-ranking officials of the Russian Federation in this regard and hope to see more effective steps soon," he said.
In separate comments on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow was convinced of the need to maintain "pragmatic dialogue" with the current Afghan government.
"It is obvious that it is impossible to solve problems or even discuss an Afghan settlement without Kabul," Lavrov said.
"Moscow will continue its course on developing political, trade and economic ties with Kabul," he added, speaking at a meeting in Moscow with Muttaqi and representatives of neighboring countries.
While he did not mention the Taliban by name, he praised the current Afghan leadership for its efforts to curb drug production and fight ISIS, which is outlawed in Russia.
Muttaqi said that countries in the region should cooperate against the ISIS group, which he said had established training centers outside Afghanistan.
Lavrov said the United States should return confiscated assets to Afghanistan and the West should acknowledge responsibility for the post-conflict reconstruction of the country.
Lavrov also called for an increase in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, and said Russia would keep sending it food and essential goods.
Russia has a troubled history in Afghanistan, where the Soviet army invaded in 1979 to support a pro-Moscow government but withdrew 10 years later after sustaining heavy casualties at the hands of fighters.
Russia and its post-Soviet neighbors have suffered recurrent attacks from militant groups linked to Afghanistan - most recently in March, when 145 people were killed in an attack claimed by ISIS at a concert hall near Moscow.