Iran, Azerbaijan Exchange Accusations over an Israeli Proposal

Azerbaijani soldiers patrolling Agdam after it was recovered from Armenia in November 2020 (AP)
Azerbaijani soldiers patrolling Agdam after it was recovered from Armenia in November 2020 (AP)
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Iran, Azerbaijan Exchange Accusations over an Israeli Proposal

Azerbaijani soldiers patrolling Agdam after it was recovered from Armenia in November 2020 (AP)
Azerbaijani soldiers patrolling Agdam after it was recovered from Armenia in November 2020 (AP)

The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's statements regarding the agreement with his Azerbaijani counterpart on "forming a united front" against Tehran.

Iranian Al-Alam TV quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani as saying that Tehran sees the statements of the Israeli and Azeri foreign ministers as an "implicit affirmation of cooperation between the two anti-Iran sides," and demanded an explanation from the Azeri authorities in this regard.

Kanani said that these remarks show "sinister intentions" of Israel to turn the territory of Azerbaijan "into a national security threat" for Iran.

Azerbaijan quickly responded to the Iranian threats, saying Tehran would "never intimidate" Baku, according to a statement by the Foreign Ministry.

The Ministry warned that the Iranian statement is the next step toward the crisis in the relations between Azerbaijan and Iran, adding that the Iranian-Armenian rapprochement "remains a threat to the entire region."

"Over the past 30 years, Iran has, with its tacit consent, turned a blind eye to Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani territories over the past 30 years."

The Azeri Ministry stated that Iran ignored the occupation of Karabakh and East Zangazur and plundering these territories, the sale of stones demolished from houses in these territories in Iranian markets, and the destruction and destruction and desecration of 65 of the existing 67 mosques.

The statement concluded that despite the military support sent from Iranian territory to Armenia, the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan destroyed the occupying Armed Forces of Armenia in 2020.

Last Wednesday, Azerbaijan opened an embassy in Israel in the presence of the two countries' foreign ministers.

Relations between Azerbaijan and Iran were also tense after an attack on the Baku embassy in Tehran last January.

On Thursday, Cohen said he had discussed with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides blacklisting the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.

In a tweet about the meeting, he said they discussed boosting regional alliance and joint efforts to combat terrorism "in light of the Iranian attack on Israelis and Jews in Greece that was thwarted" last week.

Cohen said earlier Thursday that he discussed with his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos what he called the battle against the terrorist regime in Tehran that threatens regional stability.

He indicated that the Iranian regime "threatens both our regions, finances terrorism, and destabilizes the entire Middle East," adding that he asked the foreign ministers of Greece and Cyprus to move to declare the IRGC a terrorist organization in the EU.

On Thursday, Azerbaijan denounced the "defamatory" statements by a top Iranian military commander in the latest indication of strained relations between the two neighbors.

The Ministry of Defense said that Iranian Ground Force Commander Brigadier General Kioumars Haidari said that ISIS terrorists fought for Azerbaijan and were still present in the country.

The Ministry said that Haidari made vile defamatory, and slanderous statements regarding Azerbaijan, saying they were "unfounded and completely unacceptable."

In January, Azerbaijan closed its embassy in Tehran following a "terror attack" that killed the embassy's security chief.

Baku is also not satisfied with signs of improvement in relations between Iran and Armenia after the 2020 war against Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"The Iranian side had never made compromising statements about Armenia," read the statement, adding: "the Iranian-Armenian brotherhood strengthened during this period. It is obvious that in the world, there are two main allies of Armenia, one of which is France, and the other is Iran."



Trump Jr. Set to Visit Greenland after His Father Reiterates Interest in the Island

A view of the village of Kangaamiut in Greenland, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix via AP, File)
A view of the village of Kangaamiut in Greenland, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix via AP, File)
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Trump Jr. Set to Visit Greenland after His Father Reiterates Interest in the Island

A view of the village of Kangaamiut in Greenland, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix via AP, File)
A view of the village of Kangaamiut in Greenland, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix via AP, File)

Donald Trump Jr. is expected to visit Greenland on Tuesday, after his father, US President-elect Donald Trump, again expressed interest in gaining control over the vast Arctic island.

Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has signaled he would pursue a foreign policy unbound by diplomatic niceties, threatening to take control of the Panama Canal and stating last month that US control of Greenland is an "absolute necessity."

The renewed interest in the Arctic island comes amid heightened tensions between Greenland and its former colonial ruler Denmark, prompted by revelations of misconduct by the latter and prompting calls for independence from Denmark by Greenland's prime minister.

Donald Trump Jr.'s impending visit is a private one, the island's permanent secretary for foreign affairs, Mininnguaq Kleist, told Reuters.

Trump said his son and various representatives were visiting Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, to see "some of the most magnificent areas and sights."

On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump late on Monday praised the island and promised to "MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!"

"Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation," he wrote.

With its Pituffik air base, Greenland is strategically important for the US military and its ballistic missile early-warning system, since the shortest route from Europe to North America runs via the island.

Greenland's capital Nuuk is closer to New York than the Danish capital, Copenhagen.

'PRIVATE VISIT'

No meetings were scheduled with representatives of the Greenlandic government for Donald Trump Jr.'s visit, which is a private one, Kleist told Reuters.

He was expected to land at around 1300 GMT and stay for about four to five hours, Kleist said, adding that the government had not been briefed on the program of the visit.

A source familiar with the trip told Reuters that Trump Jr. was planning to shoot video content for a podcast and that he would not meet with any government officials or political figures.

Greenland, which has a population of just 57,000, boasts mineral, oil and natural gas wealth. But development has been slow, leaving its economy reliant on fishing and annual subsidies from Denmark.

Its Prime Minister Mute Egede has repeatedly said the vast island is not for sale. But last week, Egede, in a New Year speech, stepped up a push for independence from Denmark, breaking it free from "the shackles of colonialism" to shape its own future, although he did not mention the United States.

"Greenland is open and those who wish to visit us are welcome," Greenland's ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement late on Monday.

Denmark's Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on Tuesday that he shared the view that Greenland was not for sale.

"(The visit) shows that Greenland and the Arctic will be on the international political agenda in a completely different way than we are used to," he said. "This is a natural consequence of the security situation in the Arctic."

Trump had earlier expressed interest in buying Greenland during his 2017-2021 term but was publicly rebuffed by Greenlandic and Danish authorities before any conversations could take place.

Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic member of the Danish parliament, said the idea of a US takeover should be firmly rejected.

"I don't want to be a pawn in Trump's hot dreams of expanding his empire to include our country," she wrote.