Baku and Ankara are aware of the Iranian Azerbaijanis’ impact on the Karabakh issue, the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA) analyst Theodore Karasik told Armenian News-NEWS.am, commenting on the most recent demonstrations by the Azerbaijanis of Iran.

Several days ago, the Iranian Azerbaijanis started a new wave of protests at the football stadiums of Tabriz city. During a match between the local team and a squad from Shiraz city, the fans wore shirts depicting the flags of Turkey and Azerbaijan and also waved an Azerbaijani flag.   

In Karasik’s view, it is difficult to conclude whether the demonstrations were planned, “because the demands are different among the fans themselves.” 

“Tehran is not a foreign power in the Karabakh process, and it places its bet very carefully by forming its position in the Caucasus. The process’ remaining participants, including Russia and Armenia, are aware of the bets and are playing the possible scenarios,” Theodore Karasik added.         

According to different estimations, there are up to 15-20 million ethnic Azerbaijanis living in Iran, primarily in the East and West Azerbaijan provinces.