TEHRAN, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned on Friday recent comments by Israel's foreign minister regarding an agreement with Azerbaijan on "forming a united front against Iran."
In response to remarks made by Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen during a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov in Jerusalem on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani stated that such statements are proof of Israel's intentions to turn Azerbaijan's soil into an "arena for threatening Iran's national security."
Kanaani also highlighted the unbreakable historical and religious links between the Iranian and Azerbaijani peoples, and called on the Azerbaijani government to avoid the "trap."
In his Wednesday remarks, Cohen praised the opening of Azerbaijan's embassy in Israel as evidence of the strengthening of relations between the two countries, adding "I agreed with Foreign Minister Bayramov on forming a united front against Iran."
Bayramov also tweeted his delight at being received by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his official visit to Israel and described the opening of the Azerbaijani embassy in Tel Aviv as a "new stage in the strategic partnership." ■
