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Tehran-Baku ties strategic, with positive future outlook - envoy

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  • Tehran-Baku ties strategic, with positive future outlook - envoy

    Islamic Republic News Agency IRNA, Iran
    May 31 2013


    Tehran-Baku ties strategic, with positive future outlook - envoy


    Baku, May 31: IRI envoy to Azerbaijan Rep referring to Iran-Azerbaijan
    historical ties, shared religious-cultural values, economic factors
    like commerce ties, communication networks, and goods and energy
    transit, termed bilateral ties as strategic with positive future.
    According to IRNA, Iran's Ambassador Mohsen Paka'in made the comment
    here on Friday [31 May] in an interview with Azerbaijan's Ollaylar
    daily, pointing out that yet, the two countries' relations get
    subjected to ups and downs at times, which are managed thanks to the
    two countries' officials' wise conduct.

    He added: "During the past months constructive and trust building
    negotiations between the two countries' presidents and foreign
    ministers, as well as the recent visit of the Head of Azerbaijan
    Republic National Security Council Ramiz Mahdiev and an Azeri
    delegation headed by the Head of Caucasus Muslims Office Sheykh
    ol-Islam Pashazadeh have led to new dynamism aimed at boosting
    bilateral relations."

    Paka'in said: "I believe the Islamic Republic of Iran and Azerbaijan
    Republic have lots of useful potentials for expansion of bilateral
    ties, recognition of which can lead to proximity of the two sides and
    turn the two countries into strategic partners."
    Iran's Ambassador to Baku referred to the role and progressing status
    of Iran in the world and the region, as well as Azerbaijan Republic's
    wise recognition of this point, noting that the active presence of
    Iran in crisis solving in Karabachos is to the benefit of promoting
    peace and stability in the region.

    He reiterated: "The Islamic Republic of Iran, too, considers
    Azerbaijan Republic an important country in the region which is a gate
    towards the Caucasus region countries, while in commerce, goods and
    energy transit, too, keeping in mind having shared land and sea
    boarders, we are interested in strengthening ties with Baku."

    He said that satisfactory relations between Tehran and Baku can lead
    to regional stability and balance and play an important role in
    preservation of peace and stability inside both countries.

    In response to a question on the current level of Iran-Azerbaijan
    economic ties, and the unused potentials for further improving them,
    Paka'in said: "In economic field the activation of the two countries'
    Joint Economic commission has both regulated and expanded the two
    countries' cooperation. In trade field, too, we have cooperation in
    goods and energy transit field."

    The IRI ambassador to Baku said that the annual volume of official
    trade between the two counties is now over 500 million US dollars,
    adding: "If we wish to add the transactions between the two countries'
    boarder dwellers, that figure would be doubled to around one billion
    dollars, which is of course not satisfactory, and can grow thanks to
    the already adopted measures."

    He referred to 30 per cent growth last year in economic transactions
    between Iran and Azerbaijan Republic, adding: "Yet, the potential for
    these two friendly neighbouring countries' trade ties is much higher
    than that and taking advantage of the existing potentials between the
    two countries must still be kept in mind, until Azerbaijan Republic
    would become one of the Islamic Republic of Iran's main trade
    partners.

    Paka'in said: "We get Azerbaijan's gas and swap it to Naxcivan. In the
    field of goods transit, to, Iran is the safest, closest, and most
    economic routs for the entire regional countries, including Azerbaijan
    Republic." The Iranian railways, roads, and sea routs are taken
    advantage of in this field. In commerce and energy fields, too, we
    have maximum cooperation."

    Pointing out that the deputy heads of the two countries' customs had a
    meeting recently, followed by regular monthly meetings between the
    managing directors of the Iranian and Azerbaijani customs
    organizations, emphasizing: "The customs and transit difficulties have
    decreased and facilities for traffic of goods and passengers have
    increased and these moves have positively affected our bilateral
    trade, although there is still a way to be paved before achieving the
    satisfactory status."

    Asked bout the moves made for expansion of bilateral cultural ties and
    the future plans for the purpose, the Iranian ambassador said:
    "Keeping in mind the numerous cultural commonalties between the two
    countries, the culture weeks of Iran and Azerbaijan Republic have been
    held in Tehran and Baku and the two countries' artists have close
    relations with each other, particularly in cinema, theatre, miniature,
    painting, and calligraphy fields, and Azerbaijan Culture Week is
    therefore, scheduled to be held in Tehran this week."

    Paka'in said: "In order to strengthen the two nations' relations, we
    unilaterally lifted the visa regime for Azeri citizens and this led to
    greater relations between the two nations and boosting tourism both
    for those who are interested in visiting Iran and for those who want
    to go to our country pilgrimage or medical purposes."

    He added: "The two countries' leaders are in favour of expanding
    friendly ties and their will must be implemented in other levels. Of
    course, the media, as an influential means on public opinion and on
    politicians, can play a decisive role in this respect."
    The Azeri daily reporter asked what role Iran can play in solving the
    Karabachos crisis, keeping in mind Tehran's often repeated proposals
    for meddling in the dispute.

    Paka'in emphasized that the Karabachos dispute is a 20 year crisis and
    the Azerbaijan and Armenia republics have chosen the Minsk Group
    mechanism for the purpose, not yielding to any other solution.

    He added: "I believe the Minsk Group is not neutral in this dispute
    and that is the reason why the efforts made aimed at solving the
    Karabachos dispute have thus far been unsuccessful."

    The Iranian envoy said: "The policy of Minsk Group is elongating this
    dispute and sometimes it has even stated that solving the matter is in
    need of another two decades, which is neither to the benefit of
    Azerbaijan Republic, nor to the benefit of regional security. I
    believe, the regional countries must get involved in this issue,
    because the regional countries have strong incentives for solving this
    crisis."

    He said that entry of the Islamic Cooperation Organization to the
    matter, too, can be useful, adding: "Iran, as the rotating head of the
    Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and an active member of the OIC is ready
    for meddling and is also ready for offering assistance aimed at
    putting an end to the engagements and return to the original status,
    in which respecting the boarder lines and ending the engagements would
    be in mind. The Karabachos region has created a lingeringarmed
    engagement and enmity zone near our boarders and it is quite natural
    for us to be worried about the existence of tension in this region and
    to offer assistance, if we can."
    In response to a question on Iran and Azerbaijan cooperation in the
    international scene, the Iranian ambassador said: "Fortunately, there
    are fruitful relations and cooperation between the two countries,
    particularly at the UN, the OIC, the ECO, and the NAM.
    "I believe Azerbaijan Republic would maintain its strategic status in
    the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, because the
    Iranian government favours the advancement and development of
    Azerbaijan and the two countries' relations can grow without being
    influenced by the other countries, to secure the long term interests
    of both sides."

    In response to Ollaylar daily's question on the effect of the sanction
    on the Iranian economy, he said: "The main reason for imposing the
    sanctions against Iran is a few countries' opposition against the
    peaceful nuclear programme of Iran.

    "The Iranian nuclear programme is pursued with peaceful incentives and
    aimed at economic development of the country. The International Atomic
    Energy Agency has conducted the most and strongest series of
    inspections in its entire history, including over 100 unannounced
    inspections and over 4,000 person/day inspections in Iran."

    Paka'in added: "The agency has often announced that there is no reason
    for believing that even one gram of radioactive material to prove that
    Iran has deviated towards manufacturing atomic bombs. Of course, our
    enemies have tried to aggrandize the sanctions' issue and to tell lies
    about their exclusive relation with our nuclear programme, while the
    sanctions started as of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, when no
    nuclear issue existed. The sanctions are nothing new and they have
    existed as of the victory of the revolution, but our system has
    throughout the past 33 years kept on progressing constantly."

    Paka'in added: "We are a nuclear power today, enjoy very high military
    power, have launched satellites to outer space, are the top medically
    advanced country in the region, and enjoy very high and unique
    scientific growth rate, and all these achievements have been gained in
    the course of the imposed sanctions against us. These sanctions are in
    fact an undeclared war against a nation, but by grace of God the
    enemies will be defeated by the Iranian nation in this war, as well."

    He said that the emerged difficulties due to the sanctions are quite
    natural, arguing: "This cannot be denied, but due to the economic
    potentials, particularly in energy field in our country, and the
    Iranian nation's will to defend their Islamic Revolution, the holy
    Islam, and their own national interests, we have resisted and managed
    the sanctions, having regular relations with every country in the
    world. Therefore, the western imposed sanctions would not urge the
    Islamic Republic of Iran to abandon its objectives and ideals."

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