Azerbaijan hails deepening ties with Iran in high-level Baku talks

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Monday praised renewed momentum in relations with Iran as he met with a visiting delegation led by Tehran’s foreign minister.

During talks in Baku, Aliyev said that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s recent visit to Azerbaijan, along with a series of reciprocal high-level exchanges, had helped reinvigorate cooperation between the two neighbors, according to a statement by the Azerbaijani presidency.

Aliyev expressed “satisfaction with the recent intensification of our relations,” and told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that their bilateral agenda is broad and concrete.

Aliyev said the two sides now have an expanded agenda covering a wide range of fields and noted that the intergovernmental commission is “operating very successfully.” He pointed to progress in areas such as trade, transport and energy, and said he expected the Iranian delegation’s visit to be “successful and productive.”

Araghchi, for his part, conveyed Pezeshkian’s greetings and said the Iranian leadership places a high value on its ties with Baku. He noted that strengthening relations with Azerbaijan was among Pezeshkian’s directives after taking office.

The two officials also exchanged views on regional matters and issues of mutual interest, the presidency said.

Araghchi arrived in Baku late Sunday and is also scheduled to meet his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov.

Pezeshkian has visited Azerbaijan twice this year, first on an official visit to Baku in April, and again in July to participate in the 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in Khankendi.