Details added (first version posted on 20:04)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 8
By Seymur Aliyev, Umid Niayesh – Trend:
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has said that expansion of ties with neighboring countries is his country’s top priority.
Rouhani made the remarks addressing a trilateral meeting with Azerbaijani and Russian presidents in Baku Aug. 8, Trend correspondent reported from the event.
Iran welcomes any idea for boosting ties and cooperation with neighboring countries, Rouhani said.
He added that the trilateral meeting in Baku is a positive and valuable idea providing an opportunity for exchange of viewpoints and the meeting corresponds to mutual interests.
“Iran believes that in today’s world one country alone can’t tackle all the challenges and enjoy the opportunities on its own,” Rouhani said, adding that for the acceptable peace, welfare, development and progress for people of each country, there should be cooperation and interaction with other countries, especially with the neighbouring countries.
He further said that Iran’s formal foreign policy regarding the other countries, in particular the neighbouring countries, is based on cooperation, synergy, and finding ways to access to mutual interests, and this foreign policy is a win-win policy.
In this regard, cooperation with regional countries and multilateral dialogue mechanism are very useful and necessary, he added.
He also said Iran and Azerbaijan have taken significant steps towards the expansion of bilateral ties.
Bilateral ties between Iran and Azerbaijan in the fields of economy and diplomacy have witnessed positive and constructive developments, Rouhani added.
The efforts made with an aim to expand trade and economic ties between Tehran and Baku, the MoUs on customs cooperation, selling power, linking railways of the two countries, building and getting use of dams as well as power plants of Khodafarin and Qizqalasi are notable, he said.
He further said that the ties between Iran and Russia are on the right track.
The Iranian president further offered to hold the next trilateral meeting in Tehran.
Rouhani referred to terrorism, extremism and foreign inference as the main challenges faced by the region.