Ali Akbar Velayati, Advisor to the Supreme Leader of Iran on International Affairs, openly stated that it was allegedly Iran that “disrupted” the implementation of the Zangezur Corridor. He called this so-called disruption “a vivid sign of the Islamic Republic’s power” and noted that “Iran has never been so influential.”
He further claimed that former U.S. President Joe Biden had “acknowledged” that the corridor was ready to be launched, but Iran prevented the project from materializing.
“This statement shows that Iran, even without Russia’s support, managed through reasonable diplomacy to preserve security in the South Caucasus and prevent NATO’s infiltration,” Velayati added.
How should Baku perceive such statements amid the recent thaw in relations with Tehran? Why is it that Iran regularly talks about preventing NATO’s presence in the region when the Zangezur Corridor is mentioned, yet consistently ignores the presence of the so-called EU observer mission in Armenia? Political analyst and Member of the Milli Majlis, Rasim Musabayov, answered these questions for Minval.az.
“Velayati is, of course, an authoritative figure in the Iranian establishment. He headed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a long time and now serves as an advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader on foreign relations. But I believe he is exaggerating Iran’s influence and the extent of its impact on Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and on the issue of opening the Zangezur Corridor in particular,” Musabayov said.
The political analyst believes that such remarks are aimed at a very simple goal — “to show off and present an imaginary success of Iranian foreign diplomacy, at least in the context of the Zangezur Corridor,” especially against the backdrop of the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy collapse in the Middle East and its political failure at home.
“I don’t think it’s worth reacting to Velayati’s words at all, because they change nothing and resolve nothing,” Musabayov added.
As for the corridor talks, the MP stressed that they are being held directly between Azerbaijan and Armenia:
“And that constant yapping by the ambassador of this country from Yerevan, about how Iran will not allow something or other — it has no significance.”
“Any agreement reached between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Iran will have to swallow. They can do it silently, or they can comment or snap back. But in reality, I don’t think Iran is in a position today to impose anything on anyone,” Musabayov noted.
Regarding Iranian-Azerbaijani relations, the expert emphasized Baku’s intention to maintain a constructive and positive tone:
“In short, Azerbaijan is ready to respond constructively to positive steps, but if Iran adopts a wrong position, Baku is fully capable of responding adequately to any negative challenges coming from Iran. We’d prefer not to — but we are capable,” Musabayov concluded.
