In the ceremony that was held in the presence of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani and the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the high-ranking officials of the two countries signed the documents in the fields of standardization, banking, tourism, north-south transportation corridor, electronic security cooperation, and plant protection and plant quarantine.
“The two nations and governments of Iran and Azerbaijan are firmly determined to develop and deepen ties in all fields of mutual interest,” said President Rouhani in a joint press conference with the President of Azerbaijan, following the signing ceremony.
Appreciating the Azerbaijani people and government for their hospitality, Rouhani said “during the past three years, ties between the two countries have been developing rapidly and good steps have been taken to deepen Tehran-Baku ties in all fields”.
He went on to add, “today, the high-ranking delegations of the two countries discussed boosting trade cooperation and decreasing customs duties.”
The President noted that heads of the central banks of the two countries have signed an MoU to develop banking relations.
He further referred to an automobile manufacturing project, saying “this project will lead to the manufacturing of 10,000 automobiles a year to supply Azerbaijan’s domestic needs and also those of other neighboring countries.”
"Caspian Sea is the sea of peace, friendship and development among countries located on its shore," Rouhani added; “we also discussed the legal system regarding the Caspian Sea and the two countries have agreed to make more attempts in this regard.”
Stressing the importance of territorial integrity of all countries, in particular Azerbaijan, Rouhani said, “the Islamic Republic of Iran believes that peace and stability should prevail in the region and differences among countries should be settled through negotiation and dialogue.”
He went on to add, “as a country sharing borders with the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia, the Islamic Republic of Iran has always made efforts to settle issues through talks and constructive dialogues.”
The perils of terrorism and violence threatening the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and the entire world was another topic of discussion between the two heads of states.
“I hope the trilateral meeting of Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia, as their first trilateral meeting, will be a big step for development of ties among the three countries and the whole region,” he said.
During the joint press conference, President Ilham Aliyev also said that “the Republic of Azerbaijan has always been against unjust sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran and we are happy that lifting of the sanctions has prepared the ground for the development of ties between the two countries.”
MS/PR