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Iranian, Azerbaijani Officials Discuss Prospects for Development of Military Cooperation

By Orkhan Jalilov January 26, 2022

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Azerbaijan's Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov met his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Reza Ashtiani during his official visit to the Iranian capital, Tehran, on January 26, 2022. / IRNA news agency

The chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces and the Azerbaijani defense minister have exchanged views on the expansion of cooperation between the two countries.

“We had a good meeting with the defense minister of our brother and Muslim country, the Republic of Azerbaijan. In this meeting, we explained the policy of Iran for the development of relations with its neighbors, especially military and defense relations with Azerbaijan”, Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, Chief of General Staff of Iran's Armed Forces said at a meeting with Azerbaijan's defense minister General Colonel Zakir Hasanov on January 25, in the Iranian capital, Tehran.

Baqeri said that "the military relations between the two countries will definitely develop significantly." He noted that such relations will bring security to both countries, adding that the border between the two countries would become a border of peace and friendship.

"The liberation of occupied Azerbaijani territories [from Armenian occupation] that took place after three decades was a source of great joy for the Supreme Leader [Ali Khamenei] and the cherished people of Iran", Baqeri said.

For his part, the Azerbaijani minister expressed his hope that Baqeri would visit Baku soon and said that bilateral relations would reach a high level after the meeting.

While receiving a delegation led by Zakir Hasanov, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi said on January 26 that Tehran is ready to put its engineering and technical capabilities at the disposal of Azerbaijan.

"The policy of the Islamic Republic is extensive cooperation with its neighbors, especially Azerbaijan in the Caucasus," Raisi said, adding that cooperation in the economy, trade and transit was developing rapidly.

For his turn, Hasanov described his meetings with Iranian officials as fruitful for the future development of Iran-Azerbaijan relations.

During his visit, Hasanov also met his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Reza Ashtiani and discussed bilateral ties and regional issues. Ashtiani stressed reinforcing relations in defense and security, saying that “due to their geopolitical position, the two countries have huge potential and capabilities for promoting comprehensive cooperation."

In a meeting in Tehran, on January 22, the Iranian defense minister and the Azerbaijani ambassador  Ali Alizada discussed the defense, military and military-technical fields and exchanged views on prospects for further strengthening of bilateral cooperation, sharing knowledge and expertise and implementing joint projects.

During the Second Karabakh War between Azerbaijan and Armenia, in autumn 2020, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani reiterated their support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, saying that all Azerbaijani territories under Armenian occupation must be “liberated and returned to Azerbaijan”.