Iran, Azerbaijan mull over expanding all-out cooperation

During a meeting in Tehran on Monday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held wide-ranging talks with Khalaf Khalafov, special assistant to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

The officials discussed ongoing bilateral cooperation, regional stability in the South Caucasus region, and existing prospects for future collaboration across various strategic fields.

The top diplomat underscored Tehran’s firm will to advance relations with Baku on the basis of mutual respect, good neighborliness, and shared regional interests.

“Iran’s policy is to develop and expand comprehensive relations with the Republic of Azerbaijan and to remove any obstacles in this process,” he said, stressing that the countries’ proximity, cultural bonds, and common interests formed a natural foundation for lasting friendship.

Touching on the broader regional context, Araghchi reiterated the Islamic Republic’s principled position that peace and stability in the South Caucasus were vital for all the nations populating the region.

He reaffirmed Tehran’s stance on respecting countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity, rejecting any geopolitical changes to the region, and identifying diplomacy as the only path to resolving disputes.

The meeting took place more than two months after conclusion of a United States-mediated agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which triggered warnings about Washington’s interventionist intentions concerning the region.

In reaction to the agreement, the Islamic Republic has welcomed regional peace, but invariably warned about the repercussions of foreign intervention, stressing that it constantly observes ongoing regional developments as a means of guarding against uncalled-for interference.

Addressing the matter, the Iranian foreign minister expressed hope that the signing of the peace treaty would usher in a new era of stability and cooperation in the region.

In a related development, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi also met with Khalafov, highlighting the broad range of issues under discussion, from cooperation among the Caspian Sea’s littoral states to regional peace initiatives and coordination within the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

Gharibabadi said both Tehran and Baku believed in the existing vast potential for developing bilateral relations across multiple sectors.

“These capacities, alongside the deep religious and cultural bonds between the two nations and the determination of their senior authorities, represent a valuable asset that should be fully utilized in pursuit of shared goals,” he stated./mehr