Azernews.Az

Azerbaijan has called on Tehran not to heighten tension over the recent halt of a cargo of Russian equipment for Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant on the border, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday.
"I have heard that an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman issued some kind of a demanding statement," Khazar Ibrahim said. "If he indeed used such expressions, this is not in line with the spirit of bilateral relations, diplomatic norms or simply general ethics."
The vehicles carrying about 10 tons of heat insulators needed to complete construction of the Islamic republic's first atomic power plant were detained by Azerbaijan's customs and border officials at the Astara border checkpoint on March 29. Customs officials say the cargo needs a special permit which was not supplied. But Moscow argued that the move was illegitimate, claiming that it had complied with all procedures required for the transit of the consignment through Azerbaijan's territory.
Iran has urged Azerbaijan to release the consignment of the atomic plant parts.
"We call on the government of the Republic of Azerbaijan to carry out the necessary measures for the delivery of the consignment to the Islamic Republic of Iran," Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told the press.
"The consignment is within the framework of Iran-Russia cooperation with respect to the completion of Bushehr power plant. There is no ban regarding the consignment."
Hosseini said Azerbaijan's ambassador to Iran had been called to the ministry and asked to do everything in his power to facilitate the delivery of the cargo.
Khazar Ibrahim said Azerbaijan was "in no need of anyone's recommendations or demands".
"Azerbaijan is primarily guided by its legislation with regard to the transit of any cargoes through its territory. On the other hand, international legal norms and regulations are in place concerning the transportation of such consignments from one country to another, and we take them as a basis," the spokesman said.
Ibrahim said information about the owner of the cargo and its final destination was not enough. Therefore, Baku is seeking comprehensive data about the cargo from Russia.
"In general, when a simple cargo is transported via a country's territory, all the information needed is provided about it. Given that there is sensitive material involved here, obtaining all-rounded information is pivotal. If Azerbaijan receives relevant documents complying with its legislation and international law, an adequate step will be taken."
The Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry has forwarded a note to the Russian embassy over the issue and is now awaiting Moscow's response.
Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov said Tuesday that no talks were underway on releasing the cargo. Azimov told the press that if Russia is looking to transport cargo through Azerbaijan's territory, it is required to submit respective official papers.
"For some reason they have not submitted these documents. Instead, they are sending us messages through the media on releasing the cargo.
"First of all, we do not understand such language. Secondly, there are international regulations, laws and procedures in place. Why should Baku turn a blind eye to the illegitimacies?"
Azimov said the issue could be resolved swiftly if Russian Ambassador Vasiliy Istratov conveyed accurate information from his government to Baku.
The Azerbaijani ambassador in Tehran Abbasali Hasanov said Russian contractor Atomstroiexport was building the Bushehr plant, which means the responsibility for timely delivery of the cargo rested with Russia.
Iran's ambassador to Azerbaijan, Nasser Hamidi Zare, said the cargo had been detained because of "technical problems". He told reporters after talks at the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday that Baku had assured Iran of a speedy solution for the cargo detention issue.
"The Azerbaijani government has told us that the problem will be solved in the shortest time possible. The cargo is being transported to Iran in accord with international law, and there should be no hurdles for its delivery. This contradicts [the spirit of] Iran-Azerbaijan relations, diplomatic and ethical norms," the ambassador said.
The US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack has said Azerbaijan and Russia should solve the issue on their own.
"In our view, this is something that the Azerbaijan and Russian governments need to work out consistent with everybody's UN Security Council resolution obligations, enforcing those obligations in terms of the transshipment of materials potentially for illicit purposes," McCormack told a press briefing on Monday.
Russia has already delivered nuclear fuel under a $1 billion contract to build the Bushehr plant, work on which has faced multiple delays since construction began before the 1979 Islamic revolution. Work stopped completely for years before Russia took over construction. Iranian officials say the reactor is likely to be launched in 2008.
The United States and Russia say the Bushehr plant means Tehran does not need to enrich uranium itself. Western powers suspect that Iran is seeking to master enrichment technology to make nuclear bombs. Tehran strenuously denies the charge, saying its enrichment program is peaceful.

'Suspicions'
Former state adviser Vafa Guluzada said the failure to submit the paperwork required for transporting the cargo raised suspicions.
"Iran is facing a United Nations embargo, and if Azerbaijan allows its transit to Iran without an inspection, it will be in violation of UN sanctions, and thus face outrage of the UN.
"The best way to resolve the situation is for Russia to go ahead and submit the documents. But Moscow is reluctant to do so, as it realizes that after that Azerbaijan will have to open the carriages [trucks] jointly with UN representatives and examine whether or not the consignment inside complies with what was indicated in the list. It is this aspect of the matter that Tehran and Moscow are wary of."
The analyst went on to say that Tehran was earlier not inclined to interfere, expecting that Russia would be able to solve the issue with Azerbaijan.
"But Baku's persistence caused Tehran's patience to run out and it started talking in the language of ultimatums with Azerbaijan," Guluzada said.
He noted that Moscow, which was unable to find a solution for the problem, has chosen the tactics of blackmailing Azerbaijan. Russia claims that Azerbaijan had provided assistance to its war-battered republic of Chechnya in the early 1990s.
"This is an absolute lie. I held a government post at the time. We were short of funds needed to solve the problems inside the country. On the contrary, Russia was openly aiding Armenians in Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh. We were then hit by a problem of a million displaced refugees, and money required to settle them was in short supply. Even finding money for President Heydar Aliyev's foreign visits then was a challenging issue."
Guluzada said Azerbaijan is currently facing an intricate situation. "Baku is being pressured by Russia on one side and Iran on the other. There is also a third player here - the United States - which has succeeded in imposing an embargo on Iran. All the three countries are closely cooperating with Azerbaijan, and Baku is now to find a solution that would be the most optimal for itself," the analyst concluded.