Baku, January 8, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Secretary of Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, on January 8.

The head of state emphasized that Ali Akbar Ahmadian’s visit to Azerbaijan provided an excellent opportunity to discuss prospects for the development of bilateral relations.

Expressing gratitude for the reception, Ali Akbar Ahmadian noted his satisfaction in visiting friendly and brotherly Azerbaijan. He conveyed greetings from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the President of Azerbaijan.

President Ilham Aliyev thanked Ahmadian for the greetings and asked him to communicate his own greetings to Iran’s Supreme Leader and President.

Ahmadian underlined the unmatched cultural, historical, religious and civilizational ties between Azerbaijan and Iran in the region, noting that it is impossible to find two countries with such a long-standing history of relations. He congratulated Azerbaijan on its success in liberating its territories, restoring territorial integrity, and sovereignty, expressing delight over these achievements.

The meeting also addressed political, economic, transportation, energy, and other areas of cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Islamic Republic of Iran.

President Ilham Aliyev highlighted the strong bonds between the Azerbaijani and Iranian peoples, emphasizing the importance of cultivating friendly and brotherly relations between the two countries.

The head of state noted that Azerbaijan places particular importance on enhancing ties with Iran across all fields and recalled with satisfaction the visits of high-level Azerbaijani delegations to Iran following its recent presidential elections.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude for the congratulations regarding the full restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as the liberation of the country’s lands from occupation. The head of state highlighted that during the occupation, Armenia caused extensive damage to Azerbaijan's territories, desecrated cultural and religious monuments, including mosques, and used places of worship to house pigs and cows.

President Ilham Aliyev reaffirmed Azerbaijan's support for resolving regional issues by regional states, noting that Azerbaijan initiated the 3+3 format, which emphasizes regional cooperation. The President reiterated that the involvement of external forces from outside the region is unacceptable.

The meeting also focused on the importance of developing the North-South transport corridor, as well as the trilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan, Russia, and Iran in this regard. It was noted that Azerbaijan handles a significant volume of cargo within this corridor. Additionally, discussions were held on the “Araz corridor” project, particularly the construction of bridges and road-transport infrastructure along the Araz River, towards the Aghband checkpoint. Both sides recognized the project’s importance for developing regional transport connectivity. The discussion also covered the construction of hydroelectric power plants along the Araz River between Azerbaijan and Iran. The issue of connecting electricity lines between Azerbaijan, Russia, and Iran was touched upon, with an emphasis on the significant potential for cooperation in this sector.

They noted that relations between the two countries would continue to steadily develop based on the principles of friendship, brotherhood, and good-neighborliness. It was also announced that the next meeting of the intergovernmental commission between Azerbaijan and Iran would be held in the near future. Both sides expressed hope that this meeting would provide a favorable opportunity to discuss specific projects highlighted by the heads of state.