Azernews.Az

BAKU – A number of senior Iranian officials will visit Azerbaijan this year, the latest sign of Iran’s deepening relations with the neighboring country.

Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi is scheduled to hold meetings in the country October 11-12. In November, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to pay a visit to Azerbaijan. Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani will visit the country as well.

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elkhan Polukhov did not elaborate in detail on the program of the Iranian officials’ visits and issues to be discussed, but said such high-level meetings will make a contribution to the development of bilateral relations.

"Visits between the two countries have intensified, which creates conducive conditions for the solution of the issues on the agenda."

But analysts view the Iranian officials’ visits differently. Some say President Ahmadinejad is setting the stage for a new policy in the South Caucasus region, while others believe the visits are linked to Tehran’s aspirations for using the Gabala radar station, a mammoth Soviet-era facility in Azerbaijan.

Political commentator Sadraddin Soltan says that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who has paid a visit to the United States, could bring back some messages for Iran.

"Naturally, there are some points of that visit that are uncertain for the country’s public. In any case, Azerbaijan considers itself an ally of the U.S."

Niyaz Yagublu, head of the Look at Development research center, said that after facing international sanctions, Iran sensed the threat of being isolated and is now pursuing diplomacy in the South Caucasus.

Yagublu said, however, that despite intesifying official visits between Azerbaijan and Iran, Tehran has not substantially altered its attitude toward the neighboring country and Azerbaijan’s political weight and economic strengthening are not that desirable for Iran.