Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attended a virtual press conference in Baku in the presence of local and foreign journalists on the occasion of the 29th anniversary of the Khojaly massacre in which hundereds of Azerbaijani civilians were killed.
Mehr News Agency’s correspondent was also present at the meeting, and perhaps the most important reflection of the meeting was Aliyev's reaction to her questions.
What did Mehr reporter ask the President of Azerbaijan?
One of the questions was about the future of Iran-Azerbaijan relations and cooperation and its role in establishing regional stability and the welfare of the people of the region, emphasizing the very historical and cultural similarities between the two countries.
The other question was about the issue of terrorism and the need for a united battle against it.
Following the destruction of ISIL in Iraq and Syria and the serious weakening of other terrorist groups in the Levant, there were serious concerns among political and security officials in the region about the fate of the members of these groups.
Moreover, evidence indicates that a part of these terror groups has been active in Afghanistan, Libya, Kashmir, Myanmar, and recently in the border areas with Iran during the Karabakh which prompted Senior Iranian officials to seriously condemn the presence of terrorists near the northern borders of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In the same framework, the correspondent of Mehr asked, “Mr. President, Nowadays terrorism is a big challenge to the international community. During the war in Karabakh, there were some reports about the presence of terrorist groups in the region which was a threat to all regional countries. What collective measures must be taken to tackle this regional concern and what measures have been taken by the Republic of Azerbaijan in this regard?”
The Azeri president, who may not have had a complete understanding of the question and the purpose of the reporter possibly due to inaccurate translation, criticized the question and considered it a kind of accusation, saying, “There is no substantiated report in this regard,” adding that" There were no foreign terrorists during the liberation of the occupied territories, and this is a fabrication," Aliyev said.
He also noted that the occupied territories were liberated by our forces theselves.
Azeri president thanks clarification of Mehr correspondent
Mehr correspondent realized that the Azeri president has not properly understood the question and said, “Mr. President, sorry I think you were misunderstood my question about the terrorist group. I didn't mean from the Azeri side. I meant we have heard some reports or allegations about the presence of some terrorist groups. I mean like ISIL and some other terrorist groups in the Karabakh region during the war but I didn't mean from the Azeri side.”
After her explanation, Ilham Aliyev maintained, “OK. Thank you for your clarification. Thank you.”
A number of specific media outlets took advantage of these questions, answers, additional explanations as well as the appreciation of the President of Azerbaijan to undermine the unity of Iran and Azerbaijan. They have been struggling to do so since the beginning of the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis, and obviously, they would use any sort of question to achieve their goals.
It is noteworthy that there are clear and undeniable documents of the transfer of terrorists from Syria to different parts of the world including areas of the Iranian borders not only during the Karabakh war but also on different other opportunities by the intelligence and security services of some countries.
The issue is so obvious that some international media outlets published video documentaries in this regard.
Examining previous actions of certain media and circles to create controversy in the wake of the recent interview of an Iranian media with the President of Azerbaijan, is in fact a single scenario to create distance between the two nations which have a common historical, cultural, geographical and religious background.
We seek to strengthen relations with Iran: Azeri officials
Referring to his visit to border areas between Iran and his country, the Azeri President said that he himself has visited the area and believes that Tehran and Baku can create a lot of business and transportation opportunities.
He further stressed that Azerbaijan is ready to cooperate with Iran and has allocated the required budget for the projects.
Chairman of the Industry & economy commission of Azerbaijan’s Parliament Tahir Mirkishili also told Mehr News Agency that a look at the volume of trade between Russia, Iran, and Azerbaijan clearly shows how this approach is growing and dynamic.
Commenting on Iran’s participation in the reconstruction of the Karabakh region, Mirkishili stressed that due to the massive destruction of the infrastructures of the region during the occupation, Baku is not able to reconstruct the cities and villages by itself and needs foreign investment and help, adding that the Republic of Azerbaijan welcomes Iranian companies’ participation in the reconstruction of Karabakh, too.
It is worth saying that hostile media have been striving to create distance between the two nations due to the readiness of Azeri officials to expand their bilateral cooperation with Iran.
MNA/ 5157461
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