Tehran to host trilateral meeting among Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey

The Iranian foreign minister made the remarks in a joint press conference with his Azeri counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov in Tehran on Monday.

He said that the two sides discussed a broad range of bilateral issues.

Referring to the recent meetings between Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev regarding the new phase of the development of relations between the two states, a top Iranian diplomat noted that the two sides had constructive and forward-looking talks and emphasized deepening the relations between Iran and Azerbaijan based on bilateral understanding, trust, and interest.

Pointing to Iran's emphasis on the territorial integrity of countries, including the Republic of Azerbaijan, Amirabdollahian highlighted that Iran supports the peaceful settlement process of the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis based on recognized principles of international law.

Iran is ready for the remaining issues to be resolved based on respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the parties and through dialogue and diplomacy, he added.

Noting that it is important to consider the regional formats, the top Iranian diplomat continued that during his last week's trip to Ankara, he and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu had agreed on holding a trilateral meeting of Iran, Azerbaijan, and Turkey in Tehran at the level of foreign ministers.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Amirabdollahian added that the visit of the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Iran will be discussed between the Iranian and Azerbaijani sides later today.

Turning to the matter of electricity exchanges between Iran and Azerbaijan, the top Iranian diplomat said that the two sides have reached some agreements that would be finalized during the visit of the Iranian energy minister to Azerbaijan.

Saying that the Aras River's environmental issues were also discussed with the Azeri side, he emphasized the importance of implementing the existing projects as well.

"Both Iran and Azerbaijan are pleased to see a leap in the volume of their trade exchanges over the past months, and hope that with today's talks, the private and public sectors will expand relations," the top Iranian diplomat highlighted.

He added that Tehran and Baku have passed through the stage of misunderstandings and now they are in the stage of enhancing the development of comprehensive ties in line with the interests of the two states.

On December 22, 2021, Amirabdollahian paid an official visit to Baku, Azerbaijan, to confer with Azeri officials on mutual, regional, and international issues.

During his one-day visit, the Iranian foreign minister held meetings with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, his Azeri Counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov, and Speaker of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova.