“Further expansion of the ties between Iran and Azerbaijan will benefit the nations and the region,” Rouhani also said in a meeting with his Azeri counterpart, Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Thursday.
Referring to the effective measures by the Tehran-Baku joint economic commission in the past years, the Iranian president said, “The two sides have held good cooperation in different industrial spheres, especially the auto sector.”
“Iran is ready to build power plants in the Republic of Azerbaijan,” he added.
Rouhani also described the Astara-Astara railway connection between the two neighbors as an achievement, not only for Iran and Azerbaijan, but also for the whole region.
The President stressed that this transit route is very important for Iran’s relations with Azerbaijan, Russia, Europe and Caucasus as well as for other countries that are active in this field.
“I hope the project will be completed in the near future,” he added.
He also called for all-out measures to boost the already thriving cooperation between the two countries in other fields, including the pharmaceutical, medical, scientific, energy, and cultural sectors.
Aliyev also described Rouhani’s visit to Baku as an opportunity to expand the economic ties between the two countries.
He hailed the 70% growth in the Tehran-Baku ties, saying such improvement is so tangible in the energy, banking, industrial, and transportation fields.
Rouhani arrived in Baku Thursday afternoon to attend the 18th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) on Friday at the official invitation of his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev.
Rouhani said he will be meeting officials from the NAM member states on the second day of his stay in Baku.
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