Azri-Iranian conflict needs diplomatic solutions

Neighbouring countries should try to defuse tensions between the two countries

Islamabad: Last Friday’s attack on Azri Embassy in Tehran, Iran, has jolted global diplomatic sphere severely.

There are conflicting statements from both Iran and Azerbaijan over the tragedy in which an embassy guard was killed.

Regardless of the conflict, the footage of the attack is horrifying, showing a man ramming his car into another before breaking into the embassy with a gun in his hand.

As he opened fire, people panicked; however, an embassy official succeeded in overpowering him.

Bol News contacted the Azri Embassy in Islamabad for an opinion. Mr Elchin, the second secretary, said that official reactions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are meant for the media.

In its statement, the ministry says, ”We strongly condemn the treacherous terror attack against the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Iranian police, however, have an objection to the term ‘terror attack,’ claiming that it was an individual act. The Iranian police claim that the attacker had an Azri wife and was unhappy with the handling of her by the embassy.

The Azri ministry states, ”As the country where the embassy is located, the Iranian side had to fulfil its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations to ensure the security of the embassy and safety of its employees.”

The countries have a history of hostilities. Alluding to these hostilities, the Azri ministry states that ”previously, there have been attempts to threaten our diplomatic mission in Iran, and it was constantly raised before Iran to take measures to prevent such cases and to ensure the safety of our diplomatic missions. Unfortunately, the last bloody terror attack demonstrates the serious consequences of not showing proper sensitivity to our urgent appeals in this direction.”

It went on to say, ”We are of the opinion that the recent anti-Azerbaijani campaign against our country in Iran led to such an attack against our diplomatic mission. We strongly demand Iran identify and punish the perpetrators of the mentioned terrorist attack, as well as the instigators of this bloody act, as soon as possible and in the most severe manner possible.”

In the end, it says, ”The Azerbaijani side will use all the opportunities given by the relevant international mechanisms in order to identify the perpetrators and ensure a corresponding punishment. It is planned to take appropriate measures to evacuate the employees of the Embassy and their family members in the current situation resulting from the terrorist attack.”

On various platforms, prominent European and American diplomats have strongly condemned the attack.

It is a new challenge for Ilham Aliyev, the powerful Azri President who has ruled Azerbaijan unchallenged. Aliyev has talked to his Iranian counterpart telephonically to register his protest. Iran has a considerable number of Azri-speaking population.

Both these countries share a border, and Iran has accused Azerbaijan of fomenting separatists on its soil at international forums.

Iran is also unhappy with Azerbaijan building relations with Turkey. Pakistan has friendly relations with both Azerbaijan and Iran and needs to tread carefully in this conflict.

Hardly a couple of years ago, Pakistan and Turkey took part in military drills in Baku, prompting Iran to amass its military might on the border in a show of power.

Iran has long accused Azerbaijan of warming up to Israel, which it considers a threat creeping close to its border.

Israeli weapons, on the other hand, were instrumental in the 44-day war Azerbaijan fought with Armenia. Azerbaijan is also among the countries that have opened their business facilitation centres in Israel, which work similarly to embassies in many respects.

It is a diplomatic setup that many countries have put in place to offset the nature of the state of Israel, created in violation of international laws.

Business facilitation centers and interest sections are used in the absence of formal embassies to conduct diplomatic functions at some level.

Geoff Berridge described it in his book titled ‘Diplomacy: Theory and Practice,’ ”It (the Interest Section) was first used by the United States in the aftermath of the Six-Day War in the Middle East in 1967, when a number of Arab states severed relations with Washington, alleging that it had supported Israel’s attack on Egypt. Interests sections also appeared in Washington, two of the most important of which were those belonging to Iran, based in the Embassy of Pakistan, and Cuba, which enjoyed the protection of the Swiss embassy…”

It shows the diplomatic importance of Pakistan for both Iran and Azerbaijan. A twist in the affair comes when the Israeli defence ministry calls Azri officials to assure them of his cooperation for border security. In a statement, the Azri Defense Ministry said, ”On February 1, at the initiative of the Israeli side, a telephone conversation took place between the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, and the Minister of Defense of the State of Israel, Mr Yoav Galant.”

Galant stated that Azerbaijan-Israel relations are based on friendship and mutual trust, and he expressed satisfaction with our countries’ current relations. Colonel General Z Hasanov congratulated Y Galant on his appointment to the position of Minister of Defense of the State of Israel and expressed confidence that cooperation between the countries in the military sphere will expand.

During the telephone conversation, the parties discussed regional security issues and prospects for military-technical cooperation between the two countries. It is the responsibility of neighbouring countries to play their respective roles in finding a diplomatic solution to this conflict so that it does not escalate into large-scale tension in the region, already shaken by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The writer, an ICFJ fellow, teaches mediatization at the International Islamic University Islamabad