Director General of Azerbaijan State Telegraph Agency (AZERTAC) Aslan Aslanov has said AZERTAC was interested in enhancing its cooperation with Iranian news agencies.

“AZERTAC attaches particular importance to its relations with Iranian news agencies,” said Mr. Aslanov as he met a group of Iranian journalists who are on a visit in Baku.

He stressed the importance of deepening the bilateral cooperation.

“To achieve this we should organize reciprocal visits and exchange experience,” he said.

Mr. Aslanov provided an insight into AZERTAC`s history and achievements, as well as the agency`s role in ensuring the government`s information policy.

He said AZERTAC maintains good relations with Iranian IRNA and Mehr news agencies, and also highlighted AZERTAC`s cooperation in regional and international news alliances.

He said Baku would host the 16th General Assembly of the Organization of Asia Pacific News Agencies (OANA) and the 5th News Agencies World Congress in 2016, adding AZERTAC would chair these two organizations for three years. “This will create new opportunities for developing our cooperation with Iranian news agencies,” he added.

Mr. Aslanov hailed national leader Heydar Aliyev’s contribution to the establishment of Azerbaijan-Iranian ties.

He said Azerbaijan became one of the most rapidly developing countries due to successful foreign policy of President Ilham Aliyev. “As a result of the head of state`s wise policy Azerbaijan has today become one of the most rapidly developing countries in the world,” said the Director General of AZERTAC.

Mr. Aslanov said: “Azerbaijan has already become a venue hosting high-profile international political, humanitarian, sports events. The Baku International Humanitarian Forum is one of the key events in this row. The forum is compared with the annual Davos economic forum. It annually brings together the world`s political and intellectual elite, including former presidents, Nobel prize winners, statesmen, politicians, scholars and media leaders.”

The Iranian journalists noted the role of the media in the deepening of the relations between Azerbaijan and Iran. They praised AZERTAC`s new website, saying it totally differed from the previous one for its design and functionality. They particularly hailed AZERTAC`s video service: “We followed the recent summit of the heads of state of Caspian littoral countries that took place in Astrakhan, Russia, via AZERTAC`s video website.”

They hailed Iran-Azerbaijan relations, saying the bonds between the two countries have considerable strengthened in the past few years.

The Iranian journalists said their visit would contribute to developing the relations between the two countries in the field of information.

Mr. Aslanov responded to questions from the Iranian journalists, and informed them on latest developments in the agency.