  Iran: Military drills near Azerbaijan an issue of "sovereignty" September 29, 2021 - 12:16 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Tehran on Tuesday, September 28 invoked its "sovereignty" to dismiss Azerbaijan's concerns over Iranian military exercises near their shared border, AFP reports (via Barron's). "The drills carried out by our country in the northwest border areas... are a question of sovereignty," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement on the ministry website. Tehran "will take all measures it judges necessary for its national security", he said, adding, "Iran will not tolerate the presence of the Zionist regime near our borders" -- an allusion to Azerbaijan's relations with Iran's enemy Israel. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev earlier criticized Tehran over the drills, calling them "a very surprising event". "Every country can carry out any military drill on its own territory. It's their sovereign right. But why now, and why on our border?" he said in an interview with Turkish news agency Anadolu published on Monday. No further details were available on the military exercises. Iran and Azerbaijan share a border of around 700 kilometres (430 miles) and generally have good relations. According to some estimates, there are around 10 million members of Iran's Azeri-speaking community.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Related sections Latest news The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity  The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization.Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia.Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty.Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |
