Azerbaijan’s ambassador to the United States says Baku has made it clear that its territory will not be used by any entity, including Israel, for any military interference in neighboring countries.
Elin Suleymanov made the remarks in a recent exclusive interview with the Algemeiner.
Press TV on September 17 quoted unnamed sources as saying that the Israeli spy drone which was downed over Iran in August on its way to the Natanz enrichment facility in central Iran had taken off from an air base in Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
Suleymanov said Azerbaijan is fiercely independent and refuses to get involved in military conflicts in its area.
“Azerbaijan became an independent country in 1991. Azerbaijan is staunchly, painfully, sensitively independent from everybody. We don’t like interference,” he said.
“We don’t like our land to be used by anybody. We don’t even accept when people talk to us in a lecturing manner for instance other countries. It would be very contradictory to the very spirit of Azerbaijan to be used by anybody. We are very independent.”
“Israelis know very well and we have stated repeatedly that our territory will not be used for any military interference with any of our neighbors. We have discussed it with Iranians, with Israelis, with everybody,” he added. “We will not let our territory be used for anything like that and why should we? Azerbaijan tries to develop normal friendly relations with Iranians as well.”
When asked if he thinks Iran regards Israeli-Azerbaijani relations as a threat to the Islamic Republic, Suleymanov replied,” I don’t know but they shouldn’t.”
“Whatever we do with Israel first of all is not aimed against any other country, and has nothing to do with any other country,” he said. “And by the way, our relations with Iran are not aimed at any other country either and they have nothing to do with our relations with Israel...”
