Aliyev Implicitly Holds Khamenei Responsible for Remarks by a Cleric Against Himself and Erdogan

The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, referring to the harsh words of a cleric against him and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a gathering attended by the Imam Juma of Ardabil, stated that the responsibility for this action lies with the person who appointed this Imam Juma. On Tuesday, January 8, in an interview with several foreign and domestic journalists, Aliyev said: "We know very well who appointed that cleric of the province (the Imam Juma of Ardabil), and the responsibility is on him." Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, appoints his representatives in provincial centers as Imams Juma through the Council for the Policy Making of Imams Juma. This council was established in 1993 by the decree of the leader of the Islamic Republic to replace the Central Council of Imams Juma. The President of Azerbaijan further emphasized that this is not the first time this 'provincial cleric' has insulted the governments of Azerbaijan and Turkey: "We expect the Islamic Republic to deal with him, and at the very least, he should be removed from his position." Aliyev's government had previously strongly protested the remarks of speakers at a ceremony held on January 8 in Ardabil, which was broadcast by the Islamic Republic's news channel. The Iranian chargé d'affaires in Azerbaijan was summoned in protest against the remarks of a cleric against Aliyev. Hassan Ameli, the Imam Juma and representative of the leader of the Islamic Republic in Ardabil province, participated in the mentioned ceremony at the Grand Mosque of the province and opened the event with his speech. One of the local clerics at that ceremony referred to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, and Ilham Aliyev, his Azerbaijani counterpart, as 'illegitimate and unworthy' and further claimed that Mr. Aliyev is someone who has put his family in a 'multi-billion dollar gamble with the Israelis.' He also said: 'A day will come when the descendants of Shah Ismail Safavi will raise the flag of Imam Zaman in Baku and cities that were part of Iran until about two centuries ago.' The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan summoned the Iranian chargé d'affaires in Baku on January 1 and strongly protested this issue. Hassan Ameli, the Imam Juma of Ardabil, a few days after the remarks of the aforementioned cleric, called his statements 'inappropriate language' and added: 'The remarks of individuals in no way represent the official position of any government in the world.' Relations between Baku and Tehran, which had severely deteriorated after an armed attack by an Iranian citizen on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran two winters ago, which resulted in the killing of a security officer at the embassy, have improved after long efforts. The President of Azerbaijan also referred to this issue and said that Iran had assured Azerbaijan regarding the punishment of the perpetrator of the armed attack, but added that 'they deceived us.' He claimed that all evidence indicates that this attack was an 'organized' act.