Baku, Azerbaijan, March 7
Trend:
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in the city of Rasht met with the delegation of Azerbaijan taking part in the opening ceremony of the Qazvin-Rasht railway on March 6, Trend reports with reference to Azerbaijan’s Economy Ministry.
The Iranian president asked to convey his greetings to the president of Azerbaijan.
Noting that he is pleased to see the Azerbaijani delegation at the opening ceremony, President Hassan Rouhani stressed that by the will of the political leadership of the two countries, relations between Tehran and Baku are experiencing a new stage of development.
He said that the laying of the Qazvin-Rasht railway to Iran’s Astara city within the North-South International Transport Corridor reflects the national interests of Iran and Azerbaijan.
Rouhani added that as a result of mutually beneficial cooperation, the Rasht-Astara railway will also be built and commissioned.
The Iranian president stressed the importance of expanding cooperation between the two countries, its successful continuation in the field of transport, machine engineering, pharmaceuticals and other areas.
Rouhani noted that mutually beneficial cooperation will further strengthen economic ties between the countries and will serve to further improving the well-being of peoples.
Azerbaijan’s Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev thanked for the cordial welcome and conveyed to the president of Iran the greetings of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Mustafayev stressed that the political will and friendly relations between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Iran laid a solid foundation for the development of cooperation, noting that meetings of high-level heads of state intensively held in recent years are important in expanding trade and economic ties.
The minister said that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attaches particular importance to the laying of Qazvin-Rasht-Astara (Iran)-Astara (Azerbaijan) railway, and this issue is always in the center of his attention.
Mustafayev noted that the participation of the Azerbaijani delegation on the instruction of President Ilham Aliyev in the commissioning of the Qazvin-Rasht railway is also manifestation of the great importance that Azerbaijan attaches to the North-South International Transport Corridor.
The Rasht-Astara railway is one of the main components of the international corridor, and the joint activity of Azerbaijan and Iran on this project is an indicator of friendship between the two countries, the minister added.
The meeting, during which an exchange of views on issues of mutual interest took place, was attended by Azerbaijani Ambassador to Iran Bunyad Huseynov, Azerbaijani Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies Ramin Guluzade and Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC Javid Gurbanov.