Russia and Iran Remain Strategic Threats to the Region, Says Rauf Arifoglu
Azerbaijan.US
Russia remains a long-term security threat not only to Azerbaijan but to the entire region, while Iran has never acted in Azerbaijan’s interests, according to Rauf Arifoglu, editor-in-chief of Musavat and a veteran political commentator.
Speaking in an interview with Musavat TV, Arifoglu argued that Russia’s imperial mindset has survived multiple political transformations – from Tsarist rule to the Soviet era and into today’s Kremlin policies.
“Names change, ideologies change, but the essence does not,” Arifoglu said. “Russia has historically expanded through force, and it continues to view former Soviet territories as zones of influence.”
He pointed to Russia’s war against Ukraine as further proof that Moscow remains a destabilizing power for neighboring states, including those well beyond the post-Soviet space. According to Arifoglu, countries ranging from Eastern Europe to Scandinavia have already drawn the same conclusion.
Turning to Iran, Arifoglu said that despite shifts in leadership and political rhetoric over decades, Tehran’s strategic posture toward Azerbaijan has remained fundamentally hostile.
“Iran’s attitude toward Azerbaijan has been consistent regardless of the ruling system,” he said, arguing that pan-Iranist thinking continues to shape Tehran’s regional ambitions. He added that Iran’s behavior during the years of Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories reinforced public distrust.
Arifoglu stressed that Azerbaijan finds itself between two difficult neighbors and therefore has no choice but to pursue a policy based on strength, strategic clarity, and national interests.
“Our geography does not give us the luxury of illusions,” he said. “Security, sovereignty, and independence must remain the foundation of Azerbaijan’s policy choices.”
He concluded that Azerbaijan should maintain vigilance, strengthen its state institutions, and act decisively in a rapidly changing regional environment where traditional threats have not disappeared – only adapted.
