Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity important for Iran

The territorial integrity and security of Azerbaijan are very important for Iran, Mahmoud Vaezi, minister of communications and information technology of Iran, co-chairman of the intergovernmental commission, said in an exclusive interview with Trend August 20.

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.

Vaezi said the relations between Iran and Azerbaijan will rapidly develop in the future.

"I hope that the relations between the two countries will be so developed that they will be exemplary to other neighboring countries," he said.

“The relations between Iran and Azerbaijan are at the highest level now,” the minister said. “The political will of the leaders of the two countries contribute to them.”

"While meeting in Davos, the presidents made very good decisions for further development of the relations,” he said. “In total, there were five presidential meetings. The various officials and ministers made 47 mutual visits in 2015. Iran considers Azerbaijan as a friendly and fraternal country. The two countries have much in common. The peoples of the two countries have a common culture and history."

“There are no barriers for the development of political ties in Iran, as well as in Azerbaijan,” said Vaezi. “Sometimes there are some issues emerging between the state structures of the two countries, which are discussed and solved on joint commissions during mutual visits.”

He also recalled the recent visit of the minister of economy and industry of Azerbaijan to Iran.

“Minister of Economy and Industry Shahin Mustafayev was on a visit in Tehran with a large delegation, during which the parties were held fruitful discussions and reached agreements,” said the minister. “I think that favorable conditions for further development of relations between the two countries were created. These ties have a great future, and I think that the economies of Iran and Azerbaijan complement each other.”

He also touched on the development of cultural relations between Azerbaijan and Iran.

“There are favorable conditions for the development of cultural ties as well as relations in the fields of science, arts, music, applied arts and crafts, ties between institutions, etc.,” said Vaezi.

/By Trend/