Iran's Pezeshkian to visit Azerbaijan next week as ties appear to thaw

Iran has been concerned over Baku-Jerusalem ties, fears Israel could launch strike from neighbor; 2023 Azerbaijani embassy attack in Tehran led to tit-for-tat diplomatic moves

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is set to pay a rare visit to Azerbaijan next week, state media reported Wednesday, in the latest sign of warming relations between the neighboring countries.

Pezeshkian will be traveling to Baku on Monday “at the invitation” of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, state television reported.

On Wednesday, Pezeshkian expressed hopes for “rapid and serious improvement” in relations and cooperation between the two countries as part of a broader effort to “mend ties,” according to the presidency.

Relations between the two countries have been strained for years, largely due to Baku’s close ties with Iran’s archenemy, Israel, and a January 2023 attack on Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tehran.

Tehran has repeatedly expressed concern that Azerbaijani territory could be used for a possible attack on Iran by Israel, a major arms supplier to Baku.

In the January 2023 attack on the Azerbaijani embassy, a gunman killed a diplomat and wounded two security guards.

Police stand guard in front of the Azerbaijan embassy in Tehran, January 27, 2023, following an attack by a man armed with a Kalashnikov rifle who shot dead an official in charge of security at Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tehran. (AFP)

Iran condemned the violence but cited “personal” grievances as the motive.

In April that year, Azerbaijan expelled four Iranian diplomats from Baku. A month later, Iran followed suit, kicking out four Azerbaijani diplomats.

Azerbaijan’s embassy resumed operations that July.

In January, the Iranian judiciary announced that the attacker had been sentenced to death and that his execution was pending.

Another point of contention between the two governments has been the so-called Zangezur corridor, a proposed direct land link between Azerbaijan and Tehran’s historic rival, Turkey.

Tehran has vehemently opposed the project, which would run along Iran’s border with Armenia.

In a recent sign of thawing ties, Iran and Azerbaijan held two days of joint naval exercises in the Caspian Sea in November, according to Iranian media.