Iran, Tehran, September 19 /Trend, E.Huseynov/
For the development of trade between Iran and Azerbaijan, two countries must in the first place develop transport infrastructure, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Iran Javanshir Akhundov said in Tehran on Sunday.
Trade turnover between the two countries currently ranges from 500-600 million dollars, which does not suit both sides because they do not use the full potential, Akhundov said at the Iran-Azerbaijan conference "Azerbaijan: past experiences and the upcoming prospects."
The Ambassador said that Iran is proposing to increase trade turnover to 10 billion dollars, but a lot of work has to be done to achieve that. First and foremost, you need to develop transport infrastructure, particularly North-South transport corridor by building Rasht-Qazvin-Astara railway in Iran. Zanjan-Ardabil-Miyaneh-Mugan railway construction is also important. Border areas, which has great potential, also can make a significant contribution to the development of bilateral trade. The involvement of Georgia in joint projects and the creation of a unified power grid can also strengthen the economic potential, Akhundov said.
The Ambassador described bilateral relations as friendly and fraternal, being at a high level. This is confirmed by the frequency of visits in recent years and months by senior government delegations from Iran to Azerbaijan and vice versa.
Akhundov called on the religious leadership of Iran to pay more attention to the issue of destruction of Muslim monuments, including mosques in the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia. He reiterated Azerbaijan's support for Iran's program to develop peaceful nuclear energy.
Javanshir Akhundov has expressed regret that the Armenian side rejected Iran's initiative to held talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh problem in Tehran.
One-day conference is being held at Tehran University, organized by the Caucasus Studies Institute (Iran) and the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Iran.
Iran and Azerbaijan must develop transport infrastructure for the development of trade between two countries - Azerbaijani Ambassador to Iran
For the development of trade between Iran and Azerbaijan, two countries must in the first place develop transport infrastructure, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Iran Javanshir Akhundov said in Tehran on Sunday.
