TEHRAN A seasoned Iranian diplomat underlined the importance of Tehran-Baku relations and suggested, "Both can play a major role in regional and international affairs.
" In an interview with the TEHRAN TIMES, Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Republic Ahad Ghazaee referred to numerous commonalties between the Islamic Republic and the former Soviet republic and said, "We should try to remove all hurdles in the way of expansion of relations between the two countries." Ghazaee was recently appointed as Iran's ambassador to Azerbaijan Republic. He will soon go to Baku to assume his duties there. He was invited for lunch by the Managing Editor of the TEHRAN TIMES, Abbas Salimi Namin, yesterday.
"It's necessary for the two countries to expand their ties in cultural, political and commercial areas," Ghazaee suggested.
Ghazaee, 49, noted that the geopolitical situation of the two countries is such that greater services can be rendered to the people living along the long border between the two countries.
"Another important factor," Ghazaee recalled, "is that the two countries connect Asia and Europe via land and sea, and this provides all the necessary facilities for wide-scale commercial and economic activities.
" "Oil is the key factor in the economy of both countries," Ghazaee, educated in political science in India's Poona and New Delhi, said. "Azerbaijan Republic can easily utilize Iran's experience in different fields including oil industry, as the two countries are among the five littoral states of the Caspian Sea," he added.
Ghazaee is an expert on Azeri affairs, as he previously worked as the Iranian consul in Baku from 1981 to 1987, when Azerbaijan was still a republic of the former Soviet Union, which disintegrated in 1991. He also worked as the Iranian consul in Central India's Hyderabad, capital of Andhra Pradesh. While there, he had friendly relations with several top-ranking politicians of that country.
Ghazaee was a lawmaker in the 5th Majlis and during that period, he had direct contacts with the Azerbaijan Republic because he was a leading member of Iran-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Friendship Group. He was also among those who travelled to Baku to observe the presidential elections, in which Heyder Aliyev won. "The two countries have a lot to exchange in cultural areas, as Azeri music and theater have influenced the Iranian music and theater," he added. Ghazaee attached great importance to the two meetings between President Seyed Mohammad Khatami and Azeri President Aliyev, who first met during the summit of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) held in Tehran in June. Aliyev and Khatami met on Friday at the United Nations Headquarters, where they attended the UN Millennium Summit. The two will meet again during President Aliyev's official visit to the Islamic Republic next month.
"The meetings between the presidents of the two countries will have a positive impact on their bilateral relations," ghazaee pointed out.