Details added: first version posted on 11:10
BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 29. The Caucasus Muslims Office (CMO) resolutely condemns Iranian foreign minister's speech made in Armenia's Kapan and demands to retract the statement, Trend reports via the CMO.
The CMO made the remark regarding the threatening statements of Iran and military drills carried out along the border with Azerbaijan.
"Since the 2020 Karabakh War, Azerbaijan has demonstrated its clear intention to develop political and economic ties with neighboring countries to ensure regional peace and cooperation. However, Azerbaijan's good intentions are often perceived negatively and completely misinterpreted. This is especially evident in relation with neighboring Iran. As far as Azerbaijan is a secular, law-governed and democratic state, it's the responsibility of officials to express an opinion on political and economic issues. As for theocratic Iran, the religious community of the country is responsible for commenting on political events. Thus, as the religious center of Azerbaijan, we regard as a duty to express our attitude toward religious-spiritual realities," the CMO noted.
The statement said that the religious factor between Iran and Azerbaijan is of particular necessity among other historical and moral values. This phenomenon should foster the further rapprochement of the two peoples.
"A friend in need is a friend indeed. Protective attitude of Iran towards Armenia before and since the solution of the Karabakh conflict, is condemned by Muslims, the Azerbaijani people. Unlike other Muslim countries, which didn't establish political and diplomatic relations with the aggressor-country and made statements condemning the occupation, Iran further enhanced all-inclusive cooperation with Armenia, thus ignoring the resolutions adopted within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). This attitude running counter to Islam values is not perceived by the Azerbaijani believers," said the statement.
According to the CMO, during the occupation of Azerbaijani lands, when Armenia transformed mosques into pigsties, committed the Khojaly genocide, forced a million Azerbaijanis to leave their native lands, Iran made no statements to protest against these atrocities.
"When the Armenians, having destroyed Azerbaijani mosques in Karabakh and Western Azerbaijan, "rebuilt" the Yukhari Govhar Agha Mosque in Shusha and the Blue Mosque in Yerevan in order to create the image of allegedly caring of mosques, the Iranian companies were covering the vandalism of Armenia through changing the peculiarity of Azerbaijani mosques," the statement said.
Besides, the CMO noted that the Azerbaijani society negatively perceives military drills of Iran on the border with Azerbaijan against the backdrop of new realities in the region in the post-war period.
"The political, economic and military power of the Azerbaijani state is able to prevent all threats, including any provocations on our borders. Confrontation between close neighbors, brothers is only for the benefit of enemies," the statement further said. "The highest religious authorities of Iran, claiming justice, for some reason doesn’t express their position on the zeal of their country regarding cooperation with Armenia, which occupied Azerbaijani lands, nor comment on how this corresponds to Islamic values."
"The opinions of some Iranian imams, who, instead of sharing the joy of the Azerbaijani people who have won the struggle for the restoration of justice, slander the country, are perceived negatively by believers in Azerbaijan," the CMO pointed out.
"The Araz River is sacred for the Azerbaijanis living on both sides of it. Only bridges of friendship can be built through it. As President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said, hoisting the Azerbaijani flag on the Khudafarin Bridge, the bridge is a national treasure of the Azerbaijani people. The Khudafarin Bridge is a symbol of Azerbaijani-Iranian friendship, the Azerbaijani-Iranian border is the border of friendship, cooperation," the CMO reminded.
The CMO also reminded that religion in Azerbaijan is separated from the state, and no propaganda is conducted against any state in the mosques of the country, and there is no interference in the internal affairs of any country.
"However, we cannot ignore any threats and slander against our spirituality and statehood. Islam, our sacred religion, teaches us to stand for truth and justice. As the Caucasus Muslims Office, we demand retract the statement of the Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian at the opening of the Iranian Consulate General in Kapan. This is necessary in the name of common Islamic interests, as a sign of respect for the ideals of peace and brotherhood of the Islamic religion, in order to preserve relations between our neighboring states, including in the religious and spiritual terms. For us, this is the "red line"," the CMO stressed.
"The Muslims of Azerbaijan are always committed to the statehood of their country, determined to protect the interests of the state, the sovereignty of our country. In the 2020 Karabakh War, the people of the country, regardless of religion, language and ethnicity, having united as a fist around the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, demonstrated an example of unity to the whole world, and can repeat this. Azerbaijani believers always support the head of our state. May the Almighty always preserve our independence and statehood!" concluded the CMO.