Azerbaijani and Iranian presidents made joint statement at the press-conference dedicated to the official visit of Ilham Aliyev to the Islamic Republic Iran.

Statement of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan says:

“Dear Mr.President.

First of all, I want to express you my deep appreciation for the invitation, hospitality shown to me and the delegation.

I am very happy to be on the brotherly Iranian land. I am confident that my visit will become an important step for the development of the Iranian-Azerbaijani ties. Taking advantage of the occasion, I would like to invite you, Mr.President, to pay an official visit to Azerbaijan when it is convenient for you. I would also like to note that this is my third official visit to Iran. The number of visits itself is an indicator. We want our ties to develop successfully in all areas and there are wonderful opportunities for this now.

At the end of the year we met with President Rouhani in Davos. And today our political dialogue continues in Iran. Today we held an extensive and sincere discussion of different aspects of our bilateral ties. We carry out a very successful activity in international organizations.

Our activity in the UN, Organization for Islamic Cooperation, OEC, Non-aligned movement is very successful.

Iran’s support is very important in resolving the most painful problem for us – the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This conflict should be resolved on the basis of the four UN Security Council resolutions.

The territorial integrity of Azerbaijan must be restored. The position demonstrated by the Islamic Republic of Iran on the conflict is based on justice and international law, and we are grateful to you for this position.

As you know, internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan has been under occupation for many years. As a result of the occupation more than one million of Azerbaijanis became refugees and IDPs on their native land. Our people suffered from the policy of ethnic cleansing. Armenians committed the Khojaly genocide against Azerbaijanis. All of our historical and religious monuments were destroyed by Armenians in the occupied lands. The soonest resolution of the conflict on the basis of international law would bring a good benefit for the region.

Today we had an exchange of views on cooperation in other areas. There are excellent opportunities in the economic sphere, in the sphere of investment. Cooperation in the energy sphere is successful and the agreement on construction of hydropower plants “Ordubad” and “Marazad” will further strengthen this cooperation. There are excellent opportunities for cooperation in the oil and gas sector. At the same time we will look for additional ways to enhance cooperation in the military sphere.

Today our views regarding possible cooperation in the field of high technology, information and communication technologies are unambiguous and similar.

Of course, cooperation in the humanitarian and cultural spheres has a special meaning. Our history, culture, historical heritage is very valuable for our peoples. Our peoples have lived and worked together for centuries. Our peoples are linked with deep historical and cultural roots. Today the Iranian- Azerbaijani relations are built on a solid foundation. I am confident that we will achieve our goals and work together to raise the Iranian- Azerbaijani relations on an even higher level.

Thank you for your attention”

Source: www.president.az