Azernews.Az

By Aynur Karimova

Iran intends to expand cooperation with Azerbaijan in the trade and energy sectors, Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohsen Pak Ayeen told journalists on July 15.

He was commenting on the impact of the lifting of economic, financial, and energy sanctions imposed on Iran on the development of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Pak Ayeen said that in recent years, relations between Iran and Azerbaijan have been developing rapidly and the lifting of sanctions will allow developing these relations even further.

"The evidence of the development of our relations is the meeting of the joint intergovernmental commission on economic policy held last year in Baku. I want to note that the next meeting of the intergovernmental commission will be held in Tehran by the end of the year," the diplomat noted.

Pak Ayeen went on to add that Azerbaijan's Economy and Industry Minister Shahin Mustafayev is expected to visit Iran in August this year.

"In August, we expect the visit of a delegation headed by the Minister of Economy and Industry of Azerbaijan to Iran. The delegation will include representatives of various sectors of the economy, as well as the private sector," he said.

The ambassador also noted that Iran intends to expand transit ties with Azerbaijan.

"The priority issue in the transit sector is the completion of construction of the Rasht-Astara railway line. I hope that our countries will even more closely cooperate in this regard for the prompt completion of the construction of the railway," Pak Ayeen added.

Azerbaijan and Iran have had diplomatic relations since 1918. Iran recognized Azerbaijan's independence in 1991, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were reestablished in 1992.

Currently, the two countries are focused on expanding their economic ties and developing cooperation in various fields—industry, agriculture, energy, alternative energy, and transportation.

Tehran has in recent years focused on expanding ties with neighboring countries, including Azerbaijan, which enjoys religious, historical, and cultural commonalities with Iran.

Azerbaijan was the 12th leading importer of Iranian non-oil goods in the previous Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20, 2015, according to the Iranian Customs Administration.

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Aynur Karimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova

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