Iran has been seeking to improve its ties with Azerbaijan, which have been strained over the past half-decade due to Azerbaijan’s relations with Israel.
Tehran appears to have shifted course now, however, and it is publicly seeking better ties with Baku. This is likely linked to Iran’s need to shore up its diplomatic ties with regional countries after losing powerful allies in Hezbollah and the Assad regime.
Turkey is on Iran’s radar, and Tehran already has close ties with Armenia. Iran and Russia recently signed a bilateral agreement as well.
“Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a meeting with Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev, stressed strengthened cooperation between the two neighbors,” Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported Tuesday.
Pezeshkian was quoted as saying: “The Islamic Republic of Iran has the development of relations and interactions with neighboring and Muslim countries as a principled policy on its agenda, and in this regard, relations with Azerbaijan are of particular importance to us, and we seek to expand relations in all fields between the two countries.”
Iran seeking agreements with Baku
Tehran is seeking more agreements with Baku, including better railway and highway links.
“Continuing and strengthening the level of this cooperation will turn the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan into strategic partners for each other,” Pezeshkian was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s representative also “conveyed warm greetings from President Ilham Aliyev to his Iranian counterpart,” IRNA reported.
According to the report, Mustafayev said: “Over the past decades, the Republic of Azerbaijan has spared no effort to expand relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Moreover, the important changes that we have witnessed during this short period of your presidency promise a bright future in the relations between the two countries and the situation in our region.”
The meeting, in which the leaders discussed regional issues, came on the heels of the Syrian regime’s collapse and US President Donald Trump’s reentering the White House.
The new US administration is likely casting some light on these meetings, because countries want to position themselves well for what may come from Washington. They wonder whether the US will increase its role in the region, with Iran particularly concerned about sanctions.
“Mustafayev provided Pezeshkian with a detailed report on the latest state of relations between the two countries, especially in the trade and economic sectors, as well as ongoing joint projects in the rail and road transportation and energy exchange sectors,” IRNA reported.
According to the report, Mustafayev said: “The high-ranking Azerbaijani economic delegation, during its visit to Tehran, is seeking to draw a road map for further expanding economic and trade relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and we want to establish strategic cooperation between the two countries.”
Azerbaijan invited Pezeshkian for a visit, which would be a significant development in their relations and Iran’s regional goals.