President Raisi made the remarks in a joint press conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on Sunday after the inauguration of The Qiz Qalasi dam on the Aras River in northwestern Iran.
He said the major project, which took two decades to complete, “is a symbol of the development of the region and a sign of the determination of the two countries and nations to expand cooperation.”
“The Aras River has always been a focal point for the connection between the people of Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan,” he added.
During the inauguration ceremony, Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev also highlighted the historical friendship between the two countries, saying both sides will support each other in regional and international organizations in order to improve security in the region.
The dam is expected to boost the neighboring countries’ economy and agriculture by increasing the volume of water stored in the upstream Khodaafarin dam to 2 billion cubic meters per year.
