Azerbaijan, Iran to ink agreement on co-op in postal services sphere
By Sara Rajabova
Iran's Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Mahmoud Vaezi said Iran and Azerbaijan have agreed to expand international and regional cooperation.
Vaezi made the remarks on June 17 after a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ali Abbasov, IRNA news agency reported.
Azerbaijani Minister of Communications and High Technologies Abbasov visited Iran on June 17 at the invitation of Vaezi.
Vaezi said during Abbasov's visit to Iran, the two sides discussed communication issues such as telecommunications, IC, ICT, and post bank.
The document on cooperation between the two countries in the field of postal services will be signed by late 2014. The parties agreed on the money transfer among Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey and Kyrgyzstan.
Regarding the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran in ICT, Vaizi said the sides will enhance cooperation in the field of data transmission services and in particular will increase the amount of voice and Internet traffic.
A decision was made to support each other in international organizations, in particular, in the structure of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Iran and Azerbaijan nominated their candidates for the ITU governing bodies. The participation of Iranian companies in an exhibition, to be organized in Baku [BakuTel-2014] was also agreed.
The sides discussed bilateral cooperation in the sphere of regulation of the telecommunication industry, as well as expansion of cooperation in the economic sphere.
The trip is in line with the recent agreement inked by the two presidents to boost bilateral relations.
Abbasov is also scheduled to meet with IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) officials to discuss issues of mutual interests.
Azerbaijan and Iran have had diplomatic relations since 1918. Iran recognized Azerbaijan's independence in 1991, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992.
Data from the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan shows that trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $281.03 million in 2013, which is 6.13 percent higher than 2012. The figure stood at $263.785 million in 2012.
Iran imported $73.347 million worth of goods from Azerbaijan in 2013, while its exports to Azerbaijan stood at $207.683 million during the same period.
Iran's trade turnover with Azerbaijan in the first eleven months of 2013 stood at $470 million ($448 million exports and $22 million imports), Iran's customs administration's latest report shows.