Azeris Pressured by Iran to Cut Israel, West Ties, Official Says
Iran is pressuring Azerbaijan to cut ties with Israel and Western nations as tensions mount over the Persian Gulf state’s nuclear program, an aide to Azeri President Ilham Aliyev’s said.
“Iran is telling us to sever our relationships with Israel and the West,” which is unacceptable to Azerbaijan, Ali Hasanov, head of the social and political department of the presidential office, told reporters in the capital, Baku today. Azeris won’t join Western-led efforts that target Iran, he said.
Iran is behind a “serious anti-Azerbaijan” campaign, trying to create a rift between the oil-rich former Soviet republic and its allies before the Eurovision Song Contest that starts tomorrow in Baku, Hasanov said.