Azernews.Az

Azerbaijani Parliament Vice-Speaker Bahar Muradova has responded to Iranian clerics’ recent terse criticism of neighboring Azerbaijan.

"Our Iranian friends, while expressing views about Azerbaijan, at least should not forget that Azerbaijan is an independent state, our stance on Iran in bilateral relations and that we are maintaining friendly relations with this country," Muradova said.

She said all religions co-exist in Azerbaijan and enjoy equal treatment and all religious communities are operating in the country in accord with the law.

Some Iranian clerics have claimed there is a policy of Islamic phobia and went as far as threatening Azerbaijan. Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir Tahriri criticized the Azerbaijani government, calling on the public to express "mass disobedience", and condemned the recent convictions of Azerbaijan Islamic Party leaders and last year’s veil ban introduced in Azerbaijani schools. A similar statement was reportedly made by Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, who alleged Azerbaijani officials "should learn a lesson from the developments in the region" and accused the predominantly Shiite Muslim country’s authorities of "taking down mosques and attacking people."