Following the deterioration of bilateral relations between Iran and Azerbaijan, statements claiming that Azerbaijan, as a state, emerged only in 1918, gain official voicing, expert in Iranian studies said.
“Iranian officials often refer to Azerbaijan as former Iranian territory,” Armen Israelyan told a press conference in Yerevan.
Iran’s representatives claim that Azerbaijan emerged in the territory of historic Iranian Shirvan province.
Besides, Iran repeatedly speaks of violations of rights and pressures against national minorities in Azerbaijan. Some officials hint that Azerbaijan further distances itself from the Nagorno Karabakh conflict resolution, the expert said.
Israelyan believes that Armenia must use the situation to deepen and develop its ties with Iran.
