Azerbaijani Territories Will Not Be Used By Any Country To Act Against Iran: Foreign Minister

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has said that Azerbaijan will not allow any country to use its territories to act against Iran.

"Azerbaijan will never allow any third country to take action against the Islamic Republic of Iran from its territories," Bayramov, who was in Iran for an official visit, made the remarks at a meeting with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on July 4, according to the Fars news agency.

During the meeting, the Azerbaijani minister noted that the liberation from the Armenian occupation of the 132-kilometer Azerbaijan-Iran border creates new opportunities for cooperation. At the same time, he spoke about the proposals put forward by Azerbaijan for the establishment of peace and stability in the post-conflict period, and the steps taken in this regard.

For his turn, the Iranian speaker referred to the present situation in the Caucasus region, saying that "we must oppose any issue that harms the security and peace in the region."

He warned that Israel's presence in any region would create insecurity and reiterated that Iranian officials are "sensitive about the country's security, especially the presence of the Zionist regime in the region".

Qalibaf said that Iran is always ready to support the establishment of communication links between Azerbaijan's East Zangazur Economic Region and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, and that the Iranian side is determined to implement these projects.

He also noted that Iran is interested in participating in the reconstruction and restoration works in the East Zangazur and Karabakh economic regions of Azerbaijan.

In a meeting with Bayramov on July 4, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that "since the beginning of the Karabakh conflict, Iran has always voiced its readiness to help resolve the dispute”.

“We are still ready to continue providing help in this regard to resolve the remaining issues based on respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the parties and through dialogue and politics," the Iranian minister said at a joint press conference in Tehran.

Amir-Abdollahian said that in the past 10 months, Iran and Azerbaijan have left behind "media misunderstanding" and boosted ties in all areas.

He said that the synchronisation of power grids between Iran and Azerbaijan to "ensure energy security" would be finalised during Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian's upcoming visit to Baku.

The Iranian minister also announced that Tehran will also host the upcoming 3+3 format meeting - the three South Caucasus countries of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia plus their three neighbours Russia, Turkey and Iran.

The two ministers also discussed environmental issues, including pollution in the Araz River along the Azerbaijan-Iran border.

Bayramov said during the meeting that after 30 years of occupation, the main priority of Azerbaijan is to reconstruct liberated areas, adding that the country would cooperate with neighbouring countries as well as Iran.

He said that Iran would also be involved in reconstruction projects, adding that a school and a hospital would be constructed by Iranian companies in these areas.

Bayramov also hailed a 30% increase in trade volume between the two countries in the past year.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called for further expansion of Tehran-Baku ties at a meeting with the Azerbaijani foreign minister on July 4.

"The expansion of good bilateral relations can lead to effective regional cooperation," Raisi said, stressing that there are no limits to boosting ties between the two countries, according to the Iranian president's official website.

For his part, Bayramov commented on the "significant increase of diplomatic relations" between the officials of the two countries.

The sides stressed the importance of ensuring peace and security in the region, as well as the importance of cooperation between the countries of the region in this direction.