Recent events in the Middle East, particularly the military operations carried out by the US and Israel against Iran, have significantly escalated the situation. Due to increasing security risks, many countries are advising their citizens not to travel to Iran, and some flights have been temporarily suspended. Against the backdrop of the current situation, memories and personal impressions related to visits to this country are once again coming into focus.
Modern.az in this context has gathered memorable recollections and impressions from Azerbaijani deputies who visited Iran in various years. The deputies shared interesting points regarding Iran's cities, parliament, religious ceremonies, and interactions with the local population.
Elman Nasirov: I have been to the Islamic Republic of Iran twice so far. Both visits coincided with Mohammad Khatami's presidency. With his ascent to power, liberal processes began in Iran; many foreign citizens came to Iran, and international conferences were held. If I'm not mistaken, my last visit to Iran was in 2004. It was an international conference held in Tehran. I gave a speech on security issues at that conference. After the conference, while touring Tehran's sights with the delegation, wherever we went, a "tail" followed us. Each of us felt that someone was following us wherever we went, but he didn't know that we knew he was following us. We regularly managed to look back and see the same person following us. One more thing I remember: during a break at the conference, they had fried a large fish caught from the Gulf. Six people carried that fish on their shoulders to the restaurant. In the end, only its skeleton remained. When we arrived, we also went to an Iranian market to buy some nuts and spices and talked with the Azerbaijanis there. They complained about some Azerbaijanis in high positions. They said that those individuals put more pressure on them. It was as if some were more cruel to show that they were more Persian than the Persians themselves. But even in Tehran, the number of Azerbaijanis was in the millions. A large part of them loved Azerbaijan, saying, "May I be sacrificed for Azerbaijan."
Aydin Mirzazade: I have been to Iran twice so far. My first visit was organized to mark the opening of the Baku–Mashhad airline route. On this occasion, the Iranian embassy arranged a trip to Mashhad for a group of Azerbaijani intellectuals, including deputies. On that day, we were first at the airport, and then at the holy Imam Reza complex. We had the opportunity to see the city mainly while traveling by car, and Mashhad gave me the impression of an ancient Eastern city. People who interacted with us showed great respect when they learned we were Azerbaijanis, welcoming us as representatives of a friendly and brotherly nation.
My second visit was in 2017, related to the funeral ceremony of Iran's former president, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. At that time, a group of deputies from the Milli Majlis went to Iran to participate in the ceremony. At the funeral, I had the opportunity to see Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei from a distance. During this visit, in addition to the ceremony, we also had the chance to partially tour the city.
Later, we had the opportunity to observe a session of the Iranian parliament from outside. After the Speaker of the Parliament introduced us, almost all members of parliament stood up and greeted us with applause. While in parliament, we also held a meeting with representatives of the Iran–Azerbaijan friendship group. There were a significant number of Azerbaijani deputies among them. The interesting point was that these deputies spoke to us in Azerbaijani.
Jeyhun Mammadov: I was in Iran in 2008–2009. During that period, I worked at the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations, and our visit was official. For this reason, although we did not have the opportunity to communicate extensively with the local population, we tried to familiarize ourselves with the environment as much as possible.
One of the main points that caught my attention was the Iranian side's effort to provide extensive information about their culture and state to guests from various countries. They were quite active in communicating with guests, striving to present as detailed information as possible about their country. Overall, I observed that life in Iran was very vibrant. The city streets were extremely crowded. Although we did not have much opportunity to walk around, while moving through the city, the excessive number of cars and motorcycles caught my attention. For this reason, crossing roads sometimes created considerable difficulty.
Razi Nurullayev: I have always wanted to be in Iran. It has been interesting for me to see this country and get closely acquainted with its history and culture. However, I have not been able to visit Iran even once until now. The main reason for this is that I have, from time to time, expressed certain critical opinions regarding Iran. To be frank, due to this stance, I have had certain concerns about my safety, and precisely for this reason, my visit has not materialized to date.
Fazail Ibrahimli: In 2022, I participated in a conference held in Tehran under the auspices of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. It was only a one-day visit. Although I did not have the opportunity to tour the city, I can say that by the time I went from the airport to the hotel, I had already formed certain impressions about the city. I didn't see anything heartwarming along the way. There was also a strange spiritual-psychological atmosphere. I don't know if these are my feelings, or if everyone experiences these feelings. As for the attitude of the diplomats, I can note that the Speaker of Parliament, Baqeri, like other representatives, greeted us with a high level of courtesy and a smile. With diplomatic gestures, everything is in the heart and mind, while the face always smiles. During the session, the number of representatives from the Iranian parliament was small, and since they sat in separate places, there was no interaction.
Tahir Rzayev: I have not been to the Islamic Republic of Iran, but almost all of those who have been there have negative perceptions. This is because everyone who sets foot on Iranian soil is monitored, and their movements are observed. In many cases, they have been subjected to insulting actions, and those people have constantly lived in anxiety. This is because they know they are being watched and, at the very least, interrogated. For this reason, I have not wanted to go to Iran.
