Azerbaijan’s president welcomes closer cooperation with Iran
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said his government embraces greater collaboration between Tehran and Baku, particularly in defense industries.
Speaking in a Wednesday meeting with Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami, Aliyev said he is pleased to see bonds of friendship between the two countries being strengthened, adding that Tehran-baku partnership could act as a model for the region, IFP reported.
Stressing the need for greater unity among regional states in the face of common threats, the Azeri president said interventions by outside powers and external support for terrorist outfits and separatist movements are biggest dangers to the region, IRIB news agency said in a Farsi report.
Aliyev hailed successful development of the friendly and brotherly relations between Azerbaijan and Iran in different areas, including military and militarytechnical fields.
Emphasizing regular high-level reciprocal visits, Aliyev described the fact that the Azerbaijani and Iranian presidents have held nearly 10 meetings in recent years as a sign of high-level relations between the two countries.
He referred to his last visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran, saying he had fruitful discussions with the Leader and President of the country.
The Azerbaijani president expressed his confidence that Hatami’s visit would create a good opportunity to discuss the current state and prospects of Azerbaijaniran cooperation in military and militarytechnical areas.
For his part, Hatami said his trip to Azerbaijan, which follows the formation of Iran-azerbaijan Joint Defense Commission, shows the two governments are willing to work towards closer relations and compensate for the past shortcomings in the development of bilateral cooperation.
The joint commission the defense minister was referring to held its first meeting late October in Baku, in which senior defense officials from the two countries explored ways of boosting defense cooperation.
Hatami said the Iranian government is ready to transfer its anti-terror experience to Baku, responding to concerns that terrorist outfits who have been operating in Syria and Iraq so far could target other countries of the region as calm is returning to the two countries.
The Iranian general said Tehran urges creating regional mechanisms for settling West Asia problems, believing nations in the region can better decide how to solve their issues.
General Hatami, heading a high-ranking delegation, arrived in Baku earlier in the day, for a two-day visit.
According to IRNA, General Hatami held talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Zakir Hasanov, on issues of mutual interests.
The two sides also reviewed the latest regional developments.