OFFICIAL NEWS
AZERBAIJAN-IRAN RELATIONSHIP HAS GOOD PROSPECTS
PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN ILHAM ALIYEV RECEIVES SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF IRANIAN PRESIDENT FOR CASPIAN ISSUES
Mr. Mehdi Safari conveyed to President Ilham Aliyev sincere greetings and best wishes from President of Iran Mahammad Khatami noting the head of his state attaches great importance to development of bilateral relations with Azerbaijan, and pointed out high level of cooperation between the two countries in energy and agricultural spheres. He described the $17 mln agreement on connection of the two countries’ electricity networks as a very important step, and the work on transportation of natural gas as very promising.
The guest expressed confidence that negotiations on transportation of Iranian gas to Nakhchivan would be a success, and characterized the construction of the Astara-Baku highway as one of the indications of developing economic relations between the two countries.
The diplomat stressed he looked forward to Azerbaijan President’s visit to Iran, and that this would play very important part in strengthening the bilateral relationship. He added as well that foundation of the rapidly developing cooperation between Iran and Azerbaijan and the negotiations on the Caspian status was laid exactly after President Heydar Aliyev’s visit to Iran.
President Ilham Aliyev asked Mr. Safari to pass the most sincere greetings and best wishes over to Iranian President Mahammad Khatami, and noted he had several telephone conversations with him, and that they have exchange of views on a number of problems last December during Geneva Summit on Information and Communications technologies.
Considering the friendly relations between the heads of states as very important factor, the Azerbaijan’s leader noted that Presidents Heydar Aliyev and Mahammad Khatami also had close friendly relationship. All this, the President said, creates good conditions for deepening the bilateral relations.
The Head of State recollected the Heydar Aliyev’s successful visit to Iran and conducting then a comprehensive opinions exchange on several joint projects, and stressed as well that the policy aimed at strengthening the bilateral cooperation would be continued and this would be one of the priority directions of the Azerbaijan’s foreign policy.
President Ilham Aliyev noted that both countries are interesting in development of cooperation in energy, transport, culture and other spheres. After the existing joint projects are successfully finished, new ones should be launched, he said.
In particular, the President described construction of high-voltage power transmission lines as having good prospects. Noting particular importance of supplying blockade Nakhchivan with natural gas, President Ilham Aliyev stressed completion of this project would considerably improve living conditions of the population in the Autonomous Republic, which has very cold winters.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev expressed hope that his visit to Iran and return visit by Iranian President Mahammad Khatami to Baku would be paid within the current year.
Present at the meeting were Chief of the International Relations Department of the President’s Administration Novruz Mammadov and Ambassador of Iran to Azerbaijan Ahad Gazai.