President Hassan Rouhani made the remarks on a visit to the northwestern province of East Azerbaijan on Wednesday.
"This province has the advantage of being close to neighboring countries. We have signed a trade agreement with the Eurasian [Economic] Union that will increase [our] exports. Our trade relations with Azerbaijan will also develop and we have had negotiations in this regard. With regard to [relations with] Turkey, the necessary political and economic grounds have been laid," Rouhani said in response to questions put forward by journalists accompanying him on the visit to the province.
Developing relations with neighboring countries requires the development of infrastructure, for example, constructing roads, something that the East Azerbaijan province has expertise in that regard, according to the Iranian president.
With regard to the contamination of Aras river on the other side of the border in Armenia, the president said that the issue had been brought up by the Iranian side in any meeting with the Armenian officials. He added that there had been an agreement recently signed with the Armenian side in that regard, promising that the Iranian government will seriously pursue the issue in the future.
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