Baku, November 17 (AZERTAC). Presidents Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran have made press statements.

Statement of Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan

Dear Mister President,

My dear brother,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Dear Mister President, I greet you cordially. Welcome to Azerbaijan!

I am very pleased that you visit Azerbaijan in these excellent festive days. Availing of this opportunity, I would like to congratulate wholeheartedly you and the entire brotherly Iranian people as well as all Muslims of the world on the occasion of the holy Eid al-Adha holiday.

We attach a tremendous importance to your visit. It has excellent results. Today, we discussed broadly various fields of our bilateral ties both at the face to face and full format meetings. We expressed once again our position that further development of our bilateral relations should continue successfully. We strive to pay efforts to deepen our successful co-operation in all fields and achieve it.

Our political ties are at high level. There is a very strong political dialogue being conducted between us. We meet with you and exchange the views on constant basis either in Iran, or Azerbaijan or other counties. Foreign ministers and other ministers meet regularly. This means that the development of our political ties cause the development in all fields and thus, strengthen further our relations.

Our co-operation in international organizations has a very big importance. We co-operate very successfully and support each other in all periods of time in UN, Organization of Islamic Conference and Economic Co-operation organizations. Each day, this support becomes even stronger. Besides that, today we exchanged views on undertaking additional measures to deepen the co-operation in economic field. We think that we have to develop our economic ties in faster pace. The level of current trade turnover meets neither Iranian nor our expectations. We are confident that the potential existing in our countries will allow us increase trade turnover by several times in nearest future. We are striving for this purpose and relevant recommendations have been issued already.

I am confident that as a result of the implementation of Memorandum of Understanding signed today in the field of energy and transport, our trade turnover will increase significantly. The signed Memorandum is multifaceted. All issues as well as important and concrete projects are reflected in that document. It is envisaged to create the North-South corridor and undertake additional measures in this field. It deals also with issues of creating joint electric power capacities. The connection of electric lines, co-operation in gas field, e.g. all issues covering energy and transport sector are mentioned in the Memorandum of Understanding. Relevant instructions are issued to start the soonest implementation of the Memorandum.

The co-operation in energy sector has already a good history. We have to look at the future. These ties built on strong foundations today should necessarily develop. New projects are being discussed. I hope that the work being done both by Iran and Azerbaijan as well as the investments made will ensure further broadening of co-operation in energy field in future.

Our relations have a very rich history. Our peoples are friends and brothers. Throughout the centuries, our peoples were together and lived in common place. This history and cultural ties which unite us are the strong foundations of the current relationship. We built our relations on strong basis. After Azerbaijan has restored its independence, our bilateral relations started to develop very swiftly. In my opinion, the current level of our relations is the highest one. We make consistently practical steps to elevate this level. We are neighbors, friends and brothers. We have an important role to play in this region. The current relations between Iran and Azerbaijan are not just formed as the ties between two countries, but our relations have an important impact on the processes going on in the region. Iranian-Azerbaijani relations have become a significant factor for the development of region. Our relations have a special importance to strengthen security measures in the region.

Security measures in the region have been discussed today. I informed Mister President about the last stage of Armenian-Azerbaijani, Nagorno Karabakh conflict. I would like to reiterate that Azerbaijan stands for the soonest resolution of this issue on the basis of international law norms. This conflict should find its resolutions on the basis of resolutions and decisions of United Nations Organization, Organization of Islamic Conference OSCE and other international organizations and the territorial integrity of countries. This is the only way, and Azerbaijan will continue its efforts to realize this goal.

The entire world knows since long time that the lands of Azerbaijan are under Armenian occupation during long years. 20 percent of our lands are under occupation. As a result of occupation and ethnic cleansing policy conducted by Armenia over one million of Azerbaijanis have become refugees and internally displaced persons in their own lands. All infrastructures were destroyed in the occupied lands, and all buildings were razed to the ground. Our historical monuments, graves of our ancestors, our holy places and mosques were destroyed by Armenians. This is a big injustice and barbarity.

I hope that Azerbaijan will restore its territorial integrity. In order to do it we should be stronger undoubtedly. Views were exchanged today in that field. I can say that today we had a very broad exchange of views in general. A broad exchange of views about ties between Caspian states, regional issues and bilateral relations. This exchange of views was very positive.

Mister President, I greet you and your delegation once again in Azerbaijan. I would like to say once again that in Azerbaijan we attach a very big importance to your visit. I am confident that the visit will have excellent and successful results.

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Statement of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the President of Iran

My dear brother, distinguished Mister President,

Ministers, state officials and press representatives,

I congratulate once again you and world Muslims on the occasion of holy Eid al-Adha. I am thankful to Almighty Allah that an opportunity is created on this august day to celebrate this holiday jointly with our brothers. As it has been pointed out by my brother dear President, the peoples of Azerbaijan and Iran are two brotherly peoples. This is formed thanks to the history of brotherhood, culture as well as the deep religious belief of both nations. This is not the brotherhood which lasts one day or passes through time. It has deepest roots and will be always so.

Today, Azerbaijani - Iranian relations are excellent. Azerbaijani - Iranian brotherly relations are important for stability and security of the region. Both countries have an exceptional and crucial role in maintaining and developing the peace in region. Our current common views, approaches and joint programs are aimed at establishing peace, ensuring development of region and stability at global level. As it has been pointed out by my dear brother, the potential of our countries is much higher than the current co-operation. We came to the decision to broad our bilateral ties in economic, investment, trade and transportation fields. This serves to both nations and the region as well as to the peace of security in the region.

Our views concerning the region and the Caspian are the same. Both of us think that the Caspian is the sea of peace and brotherhood, and all of us should benefit evenly of Caspian resources. The role of Azerbaijan and Iran is big and decisive in the Caspian. The Summit of the heads of state of Caspian countries will take place under the leadership and on the initiative of distinguished Mister President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. I believe that very good decisions will be adopted and broad steps will be made thanks to the skills of Azerbaijani President and the participation of other heads of state.

Our views in international issues coincide completely. We will always support each other in international organizations and extend our assistance. Concerning Karabakh issue, we think that this problem should be solved by talks on the basis of justice, and it is necessary that everyone should rely upon talks and fairness. We are ready to extend our assistance at full throttle for the soon resolution of this problem by talks, fairness, justice and international law. Security of Azerbaijan and its development have a tremendous importance for Iran. We treat the development and security of Azerbaijan as our own development and security. We will be with Azerbaijan in all international organizations and international community. We are two brotherly states. This brotherhood will continue and get stronger and broader as the time passes by.

Today we are thankful to our Allah that Azerbaijan lives through its speedy development stage under the leadership of my brother dear President Ilham Aliyev. Each day, we hear and happy to know news about the development of dear Azerbaijan. I think that our co-operation will continue for the sake of development.

My visit is the visit to my house and my brothers. We feel ourselves as being among brothers and believe that our Azerbaijani brothers feel the same when they visit Iran. We hope that these feelings would increase and strengthen each day. We had very productive and beneficial talks. There is no any divergence in opinion and misunderstanding between us. Our views coincide in all issues starting from economic and cultural ones till regional and international matters. We reviewed attentively all issues starting from economic and cultural ones till the political, regional and international co-operation issues. Very concrete shapes were defined for our co-operation and joint work in the future.

I thank my dear brother for the very sincere and friendly welcome. I believe that the talks we had and the understanding we reached in the framework of this visit will bring its positive contribution to the bilateral relations and at regional and global scale for the benefit and interests of two nations and the peace and stability in the world.

I express once again my gratitude to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and support all his initiatives related to the broadening of our co-operation. I congratulate you once again on the occasion of holiday. This holiday would bring abundance, health and well being to Azerbaijani and Iranian peoples as well as to all Muslims of the world and all independent peoples of the world. I stress once again my thanks to you and distinguished Mister President.

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