Qudrat Hasanguliyev, Chairman of the Justice, Law, Democracy (JLD) Party and Member of Parliament, answered the questions of “Elchi”.
We present the interview:
-Mr. Qudrat, how did you perceive Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s call to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev?
-Very good. I always say that Iran is also a Turkic state. And we, regardless of the political regime there, must take the necessary steps on our part to maintain normal relations with our neighbors. The destruction of Iran, the death of innocent people, saddens all of us. Iran must reach an agreement with the US and stop the war. But unfortunately, Pezeshkian does not have the authority to resolve anything. The President of Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated that he will not allow our lands to be used against Iran, and Azerbaijan’s cooperation with any state is not directed against Iran. Despite this, IRGC generals constantly threaten Azerbaijan. The IRGC must stop attacking Gulf countries with missiles and drones if military bases in those countries are not used for attacks against Iran. Aggression against Azerbaijan would be the end of the Iranian state as it exists in its current form and geography. They must understand that Azerbaijan would never want a new Syria to emerge in its neighborhood. We have always advocated for the evolutionary development of processes in Iran. Iran must start reforms, recognize the national rights of the peoples living there, stop threatening to destroy Israel, and achieve the lifting of sanctions imposed by the US for the country’s development.
-Will Iran’s new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, reach an agreement with the US, which killed his father?
-It must do so for the sake of the Iranian people’s interests. Iran may consider itself justified in some matters, but in war, it is not always the righteous who win, but the strong and politically mature. Iran has no chance of winning this unequal war. What is the point of devastating the country? They should reach an agreement with the US, similar to Venezuela, so that US special forces can come and take the enriched uranium, just as they took Maduro, and they must commit to stopping the production of long-range ballistic missiles and starting cooperation with the US. The US is already less interested in issues like democracy and human rights in Iran, which is a Muslim country. Iran must implement reforms in this direction for the future of its own people.
-Can Azerbaijan do anything for peace in the current situation?
-Pezeshkian says that for peace, we should appeal to the US, not to them. But he knows very well that there is no state or international organization that can stop the US. Expecting US resources to run out is a simplistic approach to what is happening. By bombing Muslim countries in the Gulf, Iran has created an opportunity for the US to collect war expenses from Gulf countries. Perhaps it is already doing so. The continued bombing of Iran could lead to famine and a major humanitarian catastrophe. Azerbaijan can appeal to the General Secretariat for an extraordinary meeting of the summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which unites up to 60 Islamic states. The organization, acting out of Muslim solidarity, should consider the military, political, and humanitarian crisis and appeal to the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran to think of ordinary Muslims, make certain concessions, and stop the war. The US and Israel should be demanded not to attack civilian infrastructure. In the future, Iran will need decades and hundreds of billions of dollars to restore the damage. If the US does not lift the blockade and sanctions on Iran, a rebellion of the hungry will occur in the country after some time.
-Mr. Qudrat, after Iran attacked Nakhchivan with drones and Ilham Aliyev’s speech at the Security Council meeting was broadcast, Ali Karimli and Gultekin Hajibeyli, despite disappointing their foreign partners, expressed their views on the issue from the government’s position. We would like to know your opinion on this as well.
-On nationwide issues, everyone should take the same stance, and our people must demonstrate unity. They should continue this behavior. Our people also expect the government to take certain steps that will strengthen our national unity and implement reforms.