How Pezeşkian’s Victory Will Affect Iran-Azerbaijan Relations

Azar Gasimli, head of the Institute of Political Management, reminded Azadliq Radio that  Pezeshkian was previously not allowed to run in the elections: "This time, former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was not allowed to participate in the elections, even though he is considered more conservative than   Pezeshkian. However,  Pezeshkian was allowed to run, speaking about reforms and improving relations with the West. The question arises: why did the Supreme Leader and the Guardian Council allow   Pezeshkian to run? The first reason is that a seriously discontented environment had formed internally. It was like a boiling pot that needed to release some steam, which could be done by allowing such candidates to participate. The second reason was to attract people who had not intended to vote."
The political analyst believes that   Pezeshkian will not be allowed to make significant changes internally: "Only a semblance of reform is expected. The main goal is not just to reduce internal tension but also to ease the sanctions regime. It aims to improve relations with the European Union, if not with the United States."
Regarding relations with Azerbaijan, Gasimli said nothing would change: "The policy under Raisi will remain roughly the same. Although Masoud  Pezeshkian is an ethnic Turk, he is integrated into Iran's political system. Currently, the process is that they do not want to let the West and its values into this region, where the interests of the Azerbaijani government and the Iranian regime coincide. From this perspective, relations will continue on the same logical path. Iran is not our friend; it is temporarily the friend of the Azerbaijani government."






 МАСУД ПЕЗЕШКИАН
 MASOUD PEZESHKIAN
 MƏSUD PEZE


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