AlbertaghostOPCultural Wasteland, Alberta Canada5,914 posts
"Diplomatic tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan rose significantly during the week of Aug. 7. Relations are typically uneasy between the two neighbors, but a growing point of contention between Baku and Tehran lies in Azerbaijan’s expanding intelligence and military cooperation with Israel against Iran. "
"Though Azerbaijan has had a limited partnership with Israel since the early 1990s following the fall of the Soviet Union, the prospect of a closer arrangement with the Islamic republic’s nemesis has Tehran worried. Iranian leadership does not appear to be of one mind about how to manage its relationship with Azerbaijan, but the threat of closer Israeli-Azerbaijani ties could impel Iran to organize subversive activity in Azerbaijan to demonstrate to Baku the costs of closer ties with the West. Russia will also be watching the Azerbaijani-Israeli relationship closely in guarding its influence in the Caucasus, but Moscow can use Tehran’s deep concerns as an additional point of leverage in its relationship with Iran."
"In an Aug. 9 interview with Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency, Iranian Armed Forces Joint Staff Command chief Hassan Firouzabadi accused Azerbaijani authorities of mistreating religious Shia and giving “Zionists” leeway in Azerbaijani territory. He then said, “If this policy continues, it will end in darkness, and it will not be possible to suppress a revolt of the people of Aran . The people of Aran have Iranian blood in their veins, and their hearts are filled with love for the Koran and Islam.”
"Given that Azerbaijan’s relations with Iran have long been fraught, the Azerbaijani government has not had any qualms in developing a strategic relationship with Israel. Israel is Azerbaijan’s fourth-largest trading partner (a great deal of Azerbaijan’s positive trade balance with Israel is due to its oil exports), but the more recent focus of the two countries’ cooperation lies specifically in the realm of intelligence and security cooperation.
From Israel’s perspective, Azerbaijan is politically and geographically primed to serve as a key listening post as well as a forward operating base on Iran’s northern frontier. STRATFOR sources have indicated that Azerbaijani intelligence cooperation with Israel on Iran has been essential to Israeli assessments of Iran’s progress on its nuclear program. The movement of people and materiel across the porous Iranian-Azerbaijani border is also key to Israel’s ability to derail Iran’s nuclear efforts. Finally, Iran has to worry about the potential for Israel to base air power in Azerbaijan for a potential strike against Iran.
In return, Israel has provided Azerbaijan with useful training for its security and intelligence services and is becoming an increasingly important supplier of military hardware to Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan’s energy wealth has allowed Baku to fuel a military expansion program, with plans to raise the Azerbaijani defense budget to more than $3 billion within the next two years (compared to Armenia’s $380 million defense budget). Azerbaijan still relies heavily on Russia and former Soviet states Belarus and Kazakhstan for most of its military hardware, but the Aliyev government has also been trying to diversify Azerbaijan’s pool of defense partners, looking specifically to Israel and NATO states to help modernize its military. "
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"Though Azerbaijan has had a limited partnership with Israel since the early 1990s following the fall of the Soviet Union, the prospect of a closer arrangement with the Islamic republic’s nemesis has Tehran worried. Iranian leadership does not appear to be of one mind about how to manage its relationship with Azerbaijan, but the threat of closer Israeli-Azerbaijani ties could impel Iran to organize subversive activity in Azerbaijan to demonstrate to Baku the costs of closer ties with the West. Russia will also be watching the Azerbaijani-Israeli relationship closely in guarding its influence in the Caucasus, but Moscow can use Tehran’s deep concerns as an additional point of leverage in its relationship with Iran."
"In an Aug. 9 interview with Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency, Iranian Armed Forces Joint Staff Command chief Hassan Firouzabadi accused Azerbaijani authorities of mistreating religious Shia and giving “Zionists” leeway in Azerbaijani territory. He then said, “If this policy continues, it will end in darkness, and it will not be possible to suppress a revolt of the people of Aran . The people of Aran have Iranian blood in their veins, and their hearts are filled with love for the Koran and Islam.”
"Given that Azerbaijan’s relations with Iran have long been fraught, the Azerbaijani government has not had any qualms in developing a strategic relationship with Israel. Israel is Azerbaijan’s fourth-largest trading partner (a great deal of Azerbaijan’s positive trade balance with Israel is due to its oil exports), but the more recent focus of the two countries’ cooperation lies specifically in the realm of intelligence and security cooperation.
From Israel’s perspective, Azerbaijan is politically and geographically primed to serve as a key listening post as well as a forward operating base on Iran’s northern frontier. STRATFOR sources have indicated that Azerbaijani intelligence cooperation with Israel on Iran has been essential to Israeli assessments of Iran’s progress on its nuclear program. The movement of people and materiel across the porous Iranian-Azerbaijani border is also key to Israel’s ability to derail Iran’s nuclear efforts. Finally, Iran has to worry about the potential for Israel to base air power in Azerbaijan for a potential strike against Iran.
In return, Israel has provided Azerbaijan with useful training for its security and intelligence services and is becoming an increasingly important supplier of military hardware to Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan’s energy wealth has allowed Baku to fuel a military expansion program, with plans to raise the Azerbaijani defense budget to more than $3 billion within the next two years (compared to Armenia’s $380 million defense budget). Azerbaijan still relies heavily on Russia and former Soviet states Belarus and Kazakhstan for most of its military hardware, but the Aliyev government has also been trying to diversify Azerbaijan’s pool of defense partners, looking specifically to Israel and NATO states to help modernize its military. "