Four years after Coronavirus. Why does Azerbaijan still keep its land borders closed?

Azerbaijan has not abolished the special quarantine regime of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and continues to keep the land borders of the country closed.

Recently, Baku has admitted that, besides the coronavirus pandemic, there are other reasons behind the closure of the borders. Specifically, Ilham Aliyev mentioned that “keeping the borders closed has helped to strengthen security. There had been numerous incidents previously, some of which were published and some of which were not. We were facing serious threats and problems from outside”.

Apart from Armenia, Azerbaijan also has problems with Iran, so keeping the borders closed is related to Iran as well.

Erkin Ghadirli, an Azerbaijani MP, said: “I think the borders are closed solely because of Iran. Basically, it is because of Iran, it is a security measure. It seems that we are on the threshold of a greater danger that we are doing this. Don't you see what Iran has done in the last two years? It's not because of terrorists, but because of the possibility of war."

However, this opinion is illogical, as Iran has always tried to ease the tension with Azerbaijan. The same cannot be said about Azerbaijan.

Due to security issues, the Iranian side should have been more interested in closing the land borders. During the 44-day war of 2020 in Artsakh, Baku and Ankara transported Syrian mercenary terrorists to the region. The Iranian side has repeatedly emphasized at the highest level the need to withdraw these mercenaries. After the end of the war, the Iranian side even expressed doubts that the terrorists had not been removed from the region.

It should be mentioned that border incidents and illegal border crossing attempts are often registered on the borders of Iran and Azerbaijan (drug smugglers are particularly involved in those activities). However, it cannot serve a purpose for keeping the land borders closed.

Azerbaijan was the country from which the largest number of tourists visited Iran (about one million tourists). However, in recent years, visits from Azerbaijan to Iran have decreased, as shown in the following table.

In 2019, tourists from Azerbaijan made up 15% of the visitors to Iran, and in 2022, with the land borders closed, the number dropped to 6%.

Citizens of Azerbaijani visit Shia shrines in Iran for pilgrimage. Border trade and health tourism are also developed in Iran. In fact, contacts between the population of Iran and, especially, the southern regions of Azerbaijan (who are mostly Talish) are becoming more active. Baku is trying to limit those contacts.

In the light of anti-Iranian propaganda in Azerbaijan, active contacts between the peoples of the two countries do not fit within the framework of Baku's policy. They increase the possibility of a positive perception of Iran and the spread of Tehran's influence, which is unacceptable for Baku.

For years, Iran has been trying to achieve the cancellation of the visa regime by Azerbaijan. In 2011, in order to ensure the flow of Azerbaijani worshippers and promote health tourism, Iran abolished the visa regime with Azerbaijan. However, Baku maintains the visa regime with Iran, hindering the latter's citizens' visits to the neighboring country.

Moreover, Azerbaijani officially called its citizens to not visit Iran. In response, Tehran reiterated that the doors are always open for Azerbaijani citizens.

Ezzatollah Zarghami, the Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, addressed the problem of closed borders: “Previously, one million tourists from Azerbaijan visited Iran, but now, due to political problems, Azerbaijan does not allow tourists to visit Iran.”

Iran continues discussions concerning the closed borders with Azerbaijani officials. However, even if the land borders are reopened, it will be impossible to restore the previous level of mutual contacts because Azerbaijan's anti-Iranian propaganda has left its negative influence.

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