Details added (first version posted on 19:53)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 8
Trend:
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has said that his trilateral meeting with Iranian and Russian counterparts in Baku is a historic event.
“Today, Baku is hosting the trilateral meeting of Iranian, Russian and Azerbaijani presidents for the first time in the history,” said President Aliyev addressing the event. “This is a historic event. A new cooperation format between the three countries is being created today.”
President Aliyev expressed gratitude to his Russian and Iranian counterparts, Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani, for accepting his invitation to participate in the summit.
“I should mention that the foreign ministers of the three countries met in Baku in April 2016 at Azerbaijan’s initiative,” said the president. “I am confident that today’s summit will give a new momentum to the regional cooperation.”
“Our peoples, who have been living side by side throughout centuries, are bound by common history and geography,” said President Aliyev.
“Azerbaijan has close friendship relations both with Iran and Russia. These relations have even more developed in recent years and have reached the strategic partnership level,” said the president.
“Iran, Russia and Azerbaijan successfully cooperate within international organizations and our countries always support each other in the UN and other international organizations,” said President Aliyev.
He noted that Azerbaijan successfully cooperates with Iran within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Economic Cooperation Organization and with Russia in OSCE, CIS, Council of Europe and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization.
“The three countries always support each other in these organizations. Azerbaijan has opposed the international sanctions imposed on Iran and Russia and has repeatedly expressed its position openly,” said the president.
“Azerbaijan pursues independent policy and this policy is based on international law, justice and national interests of our country,” said President Aliyev. “Close relations with our neighbors fully meet our national interests.”