Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.12
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
The cooperation between Iran and Azerbaijan will contribute to the peaceful settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Iran's Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohsen Pak Ayeen told Trend Feb.12.
The ambassador said that the strengthening of the bilateral relations between Iran and Azerbaijan will create a basis for the settlement of regional conflicts.
Emphasizing Iran's commitment to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through peaceful means, Pak Ayeen said that the strengthening of the relations between the two countries will contribute to peace, stability and development in the region.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Iranian minister said that Azerbaijan's Minister of Communications and High Technologies Ali Abbasov will pay a visit to Tehran on Feb.23-24 to take part in the meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement.
The diplomat said that during this visit, the Azerbaijani minister will hold a number of meetings with Iranian officials.
Pak Ayeen expressed hope that this visit will allow to even more strengthen the relations between Iran and Azerbaijan.
Moreover, Iranian diplomat said that the volume of trade turnover between the two countries has increased in recent times.
The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Iran stood at $186.6 million as of 2014 and $147.2 million of this amount accounted for import, according to Azerbaijani State Customs Committee.
Edited by SI
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