BBC Azeri

28 November 2021

A meeting between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Iran Seyed Ibrahim Raisi was held in Ashgabat on November 28.

This was reported by official sources in both countries.

The meeting between Ilham Aliyev and Seyid Ibrahim Raisi took place within the framework of the Economic Cooperation Organization summit in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

Iranian President Seyed Ibrahim Raisi said recently that “there are very good contacts” between Baku and Tehran at the level of ministers and deputy ministers.

“Issues in relations between our countries can be resolved through such contacts and visits,” he said.

Seyid Ibrahim Raisi noted that the relations between Azerbaijan and Iran are “not just neighborly relations, they are the relations of our hearts, the hearts of the peoples of the two countries beat together.”

“We have a union of history and civilization. All this unites us even more. We must never allow others to interfere in our relations. We must solve our own problems, work together to advance our relations and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation. “The experience so far shows that we have always managed to resolve many of them when we discuss our issues ourselves, and we have overcome the obstacles ahead,” he said.

According to Seyid Ibrahim Raisi, Iran’s position on the Karabakh issue was “transparent and unambiguous.”

“The position of all officials in the state structures, from the supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, was that the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan should not be harmed and the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan should be ensured,” he said.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed confidence that the meeting would “give a very strong impetus to the development of Iranian-Azerbaijani relations.”

“Our peoples are fraternal peoples. We have lived together for centuries. The ties of kinship are quite wide. Our peoples are united by a common history and common culture. This is a very beautiful ground. We are writing a modern history of bilateral relations on this basis,” said President Ilham Aliyev.

According to the official media of Azerbaijan and Iran, the sides discussed “cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran within the North-South transport corridor, as well as the Zangazur transport corridor.”

“It was stressed that Iran will also benefit from the implementation of the Zangazur corridor and will be able to use this transport hub.”

“The issues of establishing an energy hub between Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran were discussed at the meeting.”

At the end, with the participation of the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Iran, an “Agreement defining the terms of transit of natural gas through the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran” was signed.

Speaking to Iranian media after the signing of the agreement, President Ilham Aliyev said that “from now on, Iranian-Azerbaijani relations will continue to grow in all areas.”

“Our peoples are fraternal peoples, our countries are fraternal countries, and the issues discussed today show once again that Iran-Azerbaijan relations are at a very high level.”

According to Ilham Aliyev, the signed document is also “of great importance.”

“This is a historic document. It shows once again how deep the Iranian-Azerbaijani relations are. Azerbaijan will receive Turkmen gas through Iran. This is a very good basis for trilateral cooperation and shows our intention. This document is very important in terms of economic and energy security. It is important, “the Azerbaijani President said.

President Seyed Ibrahim Raisi told Iranian media that “issues of interest between the two countries were discussed” with the President of Azerbaijan.

“Our relations with Azerbaijan are cultural, friendly and sincere, the history of our relations is very old. There should be no misunderstandings in these relations,” he said.

“The gas agreement signed today between Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan will serve the development of relations between our countries, relations between two and three countries. It is necessary to take serious and numerous steps in this area. “Cooperation in the cultural sphere should be aimed at expanding relations between the two countries,” he said.

According to Iranian media, starting from December 25, 2021, Azerbaijan will receive 1.5-2 billion cubic meters of gas a year from Turkmenistan through Iran.

Thanks to the profits from this deal, Iran will be able to direct its gas to five regions of the country.