POLITICS
Hassan Rouhani: Azerbaijan`s security is our security
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Baku, February 19 (AZERTAC). Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said his country regards Azerbaijan`s security as its own security.
“Azerbaijan`s security is our security,” the Iranian leader told Speaker of Azerbaijan`s Parliament Ogtay Asadov as they met on the sidelines of the 9th session of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Member States (PUIC) in Tehran.
Mr. Rouhani said Iran and Azerbaijan were bound by ties of history.
“We put a special emphasis on our relationship with Azerbaijan.”
The Iranian leader recalled his recent meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Davos. “We discussed bilateral relations,” said Mr. Rouhani, adding the two countries “almost opened a new page in the development and strengthening of our bilateral ties”.
The Iranian leader also praised the participation of the Azerbaijani delegation in the PUIC session.
Speaker Asadov said Azerbaijan and Iran were “brotherly countries and good neighbors”.
“Cooperation between our countries is developing on a variety of fronts. High-level visits and meetings play an important role in developing our relations,” he said.
Mr. Asadov praised cultural relations: “Our countries have rich cultural ties. It is important to pay constant attention to this area because developing cultural relations serves interests of our people.”
“So we think it is reasonable to conduct culture days on a constant basis,” said the Azerbaijani Speaker.
He also hailed the role of parliaments in boosting bilateral relations.
“Cooperation between our legislative bodies have been developing rapidly recently. It is evidenced by the number of reciprocal visits and meetings.”
The Iranian President and the Azerbaijani Speaker discussed prospects for developing relations between the two countries, particularly inter-parliamentary cooperation.
On the sidelines of the PUIC session Speaker Asadov also met his Turkish counterpart Cemil Cicek.
Mr. Asadov said Azerbaijan considered Turkey “the closest friend, brother and ally”. “This alliance is strengthening and developing.”
They discussed how to deepen Azerbaijan-Turkey relations in political, economic, trade and humanitarian areas.
The Azerbaijani Speaker also had a meeting with chairman of Iran`s Islamic Consultative Assembly Ali Larijani.
They stressed the role of reciprocal visits and meetings of the heads of state in developing relations between the two countries.
The two praised the role of cultural cooperation in bringing the Azerbaijani and Iranian people closer to each other.
They lauded the work of the joint inter-governmental commission, saying it had made a tremendous contribution to developing Azerbaijan-Iran relations in political, economic and cultural areas.
They also emphasized the necessity of boosting relations between friendship groups at both countries` parliaments.