TEHRAN, Dec 10 (NNN-IRNA) – Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, called for a reinforcement of Iran’s relations with Azerbaijan, during his meeting with visiting Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, Jeyhun Bayramov.
“We hope we can take advantage of the opportunity created by new international conditions, to further develop relations between the two countries.”
The President celebrated the establishment of a cease-fire in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh region, noting, Iran is ready to play a constructive role in fostering stability in the region by helping strengthen the truce.
He suggested that the Iran-Azerbaijan border should be exploited to amplify economic and commercial ties.
Rouhani also called for speeding up the process of joint projects between Iran and Azerbaijan, such as the Rasht-Astara railway, the Khoda Afarin Dam, and the building of power plants.
Bayramov, for his part, described Iran as a “friendly” and “brotherly” neighbour, and called for a boost in bilateral relations.
“Azerbaijan’s borders with Iran are borders of friendship and development, and that the revival of these borders can bring about new cooperation projects between the two countries,” he said.
The Azerbaijani top diplomat pointed to the Rasht-Astara railway project as the basis for an increase in cooperation with Iran, expressing hopes for the removal of obstacles caused by U.S. embargoes in order to accelerate the joint projects.
Bayramov condemned the assassination of top Iranian nuclear physicist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, as “not acceptable at all.”
Iran and Azerbaijan signalled willingness to reach a preferential trade agreement during Rouhani’s visit to Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, last year.
