Baku Sees No Obstacle to Enhanced Ties with Tehran: FM

Azerbaijan’s top diplomat highlighted the brotherly and growing relations between Iran and Azerbaijan and said Baku sees no tangible obstacles in the way of strengthening its political, economic, cultural and social ties with Tehran.

“Iran and Azerbaijan have always sought to establish peace and stability in the region through their regional cooperation,” he said in a Saturday meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran.

Mammadyarov described as important the current relations between Iran and Azerbaijan in various areas including the Caspian Sea and various dams and power plants projects and said the two sides’ trade ties will expand further after the mentioned projects are accomplished.

He hailed as “strategic” the joint project to construct a railway between the Iranian city of Rasht and the Azeri city of Astara, which connects the Iran-Azerbaijan border to the Islamic Republic’s national railway

“The Rasht-Astara railway project is a strategic and significant regional project,” Mammadyarov said.

“Through the railway, Iranian, Russian and Azeri railway networks will become interconnected and the three states can reach the Black Sea through Georgia,” he said.

He also delivered an official invitation letter from Azeri President Ilham Aliyev to President Rouhani to attend the Non-Alliance Movement summit slated for next year in Baku.

President Rouhani, in turn, described Rasht-Astara railway project as a significant one, saying it is a long step in meeting regional as well as Iran and Azerbaijan common interests.

He also noted that Iran and Azerbaijan have already made agreements on constructing a number of dams and power plants.

The Iranian president said mutual relations between Iran and Azerbaijan are expanding in various areas, adding that significant projects are underway by the two states today.

Rouhani also expressed satisfaction with the growing ties between Iran and Azerbaijan and said the Iranian government is willing to expand its relations with the neighboring Azerbaijan in all areas.

He then referred to the urgency to expand cooperation between Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia and said there are various regional projects which could be implemented trilaterally.