Iran, Azerbaijan presidents call for boosting trade, economic ties
EghtesadOnline: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev have called for the expansion of relations in different sectors, including energy and transportation.
The Iranian and Azeri presidents met in Tehran on Wednesday and discussed a range of issues on bilateral and regional developments, according to PressTV.
Rouhani lauded constant meetings and talks between the high-ranking officials of Iran and Azerbaijan, which he said have contributed to the development of bilateral cooperation.
“The trade and economic ties between Iran and Azerbaijan have made good progress and we should make more efforts to further tap into the two countries’ potential to meet the demands of the two sides,” the Iranian president said.
He specifically called for further cooperation in the banking, transportation, agriculture, energy, and oil and gas sectors.
Rouhani said the joint project of the Rasht-Astara railway as part of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) could play an important role in developing transit ties between the two countries.
“This transit line could be used for transporting goods from the Sea of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the Caucasus region and Eastern Europe,” he said.
The Iranian president also called for using the national currencies of both sides for trade and economic ties.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani also urged cooperation between regional countries in the fight against terrorism.
He also called for any regional dispute to be resolved through talks and within the framework of international law.
For his part, the Azeri president praised the growth of trade transactions with Iran over the past years, and expressed his country’s willingness to boost trade ties through the national currencies of the two countries.
Aliyev also underlined the need for more Tehran-Baku cooperation in the sectors of energy, electricity and oil extraction as well as the development of the INSTC.
Highlighting the anti-terror fight in the region, the Azeri president commended Iran for its instrumental role in restoring regional peace and security and battling terrorism.
Aliyev is in Tehran for a trilateral meeting with the Iranian president and Russian leader Vladimir Putin to discuss cooperation, especially in the fields of transit and energy, and fighting terrorism.