Azerbaijan reopens embassy in Iran

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 22 Jul 2024 by Alex Teddy
On July 15 the embassy began work again. It was closed in January 2023 after a gunman shot 3 people there: killing the head of security and wounding two guards. The motive for the killing is unclear. The wife of the gunman allegedly disappeared when she visited the embassy. But Azerbaijan said it was a politically motivated terrorist act. The attack led to both countries expelling 4 diplomats. Azerbaijan has long accused Iran of backing religious fundamentalists who aim to overthrow the government. Azerbaijan has full diplomatic relations with Israel. Iran and Azerbaijan are 2 of only 4 Shia majority countries in the Muslim world. Azerbaijan is secular whereas Iran is a theocracy. Iran is a sworn enemy of Israel and the main backer of Hamas. Azerbaijan has benefited from Israeli intelligence and military technology. Israel finds it useful to use Azerbaijani territory to spy on Iran and to build up Azerbaijan as a threat to Iran. Iran has to guard its border with Azerbaijan because of often strained relations between the two countries.  Armenia is an ally of Iran. Armenia's defeats by Azerbaijan since 2020 and its cession of land to Azerbaijan may have led Iran to re-assess its position regarding Azerbaijan. About 25% of Iranians are ethnically Azerbaijani. Tabriz, the historic capital of Azerbaijan, is in Iran. Azerbaijan would like back two-thirds of historic Azerbaijan which was lost to Iran 200 years ago. But Azerbaijan with 10 million people has no chance against Iran with 80 million people. Relations between Azerbaijan and Iran have been warming through 2024. President Aliyev even met his Iranian counterpart in May 2024 when they opened a dam on the border. The Ir...

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