Baku, September 7, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received credentials of the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran Seyyed Abbas Mousavi.

Presenting his credentials to President Ilham Aliyev, Ambassador Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said:

- Mr. President, it is an honor for me as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to present to Your Excellency my credentials and a letter of recall of my predecessor. Please allow me also to convey to you the most cordial greetings from the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr. Hassan Rouhani. Thank you!

President Ilham Aliyev: Dear Mr. Ambassador, I sincerely welcome you to Azerbaijan - you are welcome! Please pass my cordial greetings on to my friend and brother, President Rouhani.

I wish you success in your activities. I am sure that you will make a valuable contribution to the relations between our countries, and that our relations will continue to develop successfully in the future too.

As you know, we have had more than 10 meetings with President Rouhani over the past few years. A number of issues discussed and decisions made during these meetings have brought our countries closer together. Many documents covering almost all areas have been signed. We always support each other's position in international organizations. We always show solidarity within the UN, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).

About two months ago, following yet another act of military aggression on the part of Armenia against Azerbaijan, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation adopted resolutions supporting the position and just cause of Azerbaijan and condemning the actions of Armenia. The Islamic Republic of Iran as an active member of these two organizations has once again shown its support for Azerbaijan by joining this position. Thank you for that.

Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan continues. As a result of this aggression, about 20 percent of our lands have been occupied. The fact that Azerbaijani citizens have become refugees is the result of this occupation. A policy of ethnic cleansing has been carried out against the Azerbaijanis, the Khojaly genocide has been committed. Armenia has destroyed our historical and religious monuments and desecrated our religious sites. The Armenians have destroyed our mosques in the occupied territories. They even keep animals in some of the mosques. There is extensive video and photo evidence of these ugly deeds. It can be found on the Internet. This is a crime not only against us but also against the entire Muslim world.

As you know, Azerbaijan contributes to the strengthening of Islamic solidarity and makes great effort towards that. Azerbaijan is always ready to make additional effort to unite the Islamic world and resolve the problems between some countries.

I should also note that our countries are also actively involved in trilateral cooperation formats in foreign policy. The Azerbaijan-Iran-Turkey and Azerbaijan-Iran-Russia trilateral cooperation format has existed for several years, and this format is very effective.

The relations between neighboring countries and the development of these relations are a guarantor of stability and peace in the region. The fact that the legal status of the Caspian Sea has finally been resolved shows the intention of all the Caspian littoral states, our policy and the friendship among these countries.

As for our bilateral relations, I want to say again that our relations are developing fast and have reached a high level. I had a telephone conversation with President Rouhani at the end of July. Many important issues were discussed and we agreed that relevant members of our governments should hold meetings via videoconferencing during this pandemic. In fact, many of these meetings have already been held. This is very important because we do not want to waste time. After all, the pandemic has interfered in our work, of course.

I am confident that the important transport and energy projects that are being implemented today will become even larger in the coming years. As you know, the North-South transport corridor can connect not only our countries but also the entire Eurasia. Both Iran and Azerbaijan are making great efforts to launch and further develop this corridor.

There are good results in all other areas - investment, power engineering and others. In particular, our relations in the military-technical sphere have a long history. New agreements have been reached. I am confident that our cooperation in this area will continue to develop successfully. So you are welcome again!

Ambassador Seyyed Abbas Mousavi: Thank you very much for receiving me today.

You spoke at length about our bilateral relations, and I see no need for any extra words. I convey to you the cordial greetings of Mr. Dr. Rouhani. I also convey greetings from members of our Cabinet, in particular the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

I want to assure you that the determination and intentions of all the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran are to further develop and strengthen bilateral relations. Glory to Allah, thanks to your wisdom, as well as the wisdom of the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the relations between the two countries are developing every day.

The relations with neighboring countries, in particular, with the Republic of Azerbaijan, play an important role in the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Our neighbors are 15 countries. We have a special relationship with Azerbaijan. My mission is to further strengthen the relations between two friendly, fraternal and Muslim countries. I see no obstacles to expanding relations between our countries. With your support, as well as with the support of Cabinet members, these relations will develop every day.

The people and state of the Islamic Republic of Iran looked forward to your visit to Iran in March. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, this visit did not take place. The people of Iran and the Iranian state continue to look forward to this visit, and I convey this invitation to you again.

Our friendly and good-neighborly relations are a special relationship that no third force can harm. The Islamic Republic of Iran supports the fair position and just cause of Azerbaijan on the issue of the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We believe that this conflict must be resolved within the framework of international laws, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan.

As you noted, our trilateral and quadrilateral regional cooperation will be continued in the future. We have common positions within regional and international organizations, and we will continue to support each other's positions. I am sure that thanks to your wisdom, our relations, which are currently at a high level, will develop in the future. Inshallah, we will witness the further development of our relations at the videoconference upcoming soon with your participation and with the participation of President Hassan Rouhani.