TEHRAN - Azeri Deputy Defense Minister for Logistics Lieutenant General Mammadov Fuad Nadir held a meeting in Tehran on Wednesday with Major General Ali Abdullahi, the deputy chief of the general staff of Iran’s Armed Forces for coordination affairs.

In the meeting, the two senior military officials underscored that Tehran and Baku are resolved to take giant strides in line with the expansion of military relations. 

A number of senior military experts in both countries were present in the meeting.

Exchange of military delegations, staging joint military drills and promotion of cultural cooperation were among the topics discussed in the meeting. 

Iran and Azerbaijan as two neighboring states share common affinities in terms of history, culture, and civilization.

The two countries have a record of cooperation on military, security and defense areas.

Fighting terrorism, human trafficking and trafficking of illicit drugs in the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus are common goals by Iran and Azerbaijan.

In October 2019, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani highlighted the importance of efforts to promote ties between Tehran and Baku and said the relationship was beneficial not only to both nations but also to the region.  

“With the efforts of senior officials of Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, relations between the two countries have progressed to a satisfying level,” Rouhani said at a meeting with his Azeri counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, in Baku on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit.

The deepening of the bilateral ties and cooperation is beneficial not only to both nations but also to the region, Rouhani noted.

Rouhani further praised the effective role of the Iran-Azerbaijan Joint Economic Commission in boosting cooperation between the two countries and said, “In the area of industrial cooperation and automotive industry, grounds are provided for the good cooperation, and Iran is also ready to construct power plants in the Republic of Azerbaijan.”

Rouhani also underlined the importance of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and said Iran and Azerbaijan have had very good cooperation in the INSTC project and Tehran hopes that its final phases are constructed more quickly.

Aliyev, for his part, described Rouhani’s visit to Baku as a good opportunity for the development of bilateral relations.

“The deep cultural and historical commonalities between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan have paved the ground for closer cooperation, and of course the cooperation has considerably increased in your term in office,” he told Rouhani.

MJ/PA