Tomorrow President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev will make an official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran. On the threshold of his visit he gave an interview to the Radio and Television company of the Islamic Republic of Iran, speaking about the aims of the visit in detail, the official website of the head of the state reports.
"My official visit to Iran will take place at the invitation of President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani. I want to note that previously I have met four times with the President of Iran. During my official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran in April 2014 and during Hassan Rouhani's official visit to Azerbaijan in November of the same year. We held sincere talks on all aspects of bilateral relations between the two countries and signed a number of documents for development of political, economic, humanitarian and other relations in various spheres,’’ the head of Azerbaijan said.
"Discussions related to events in the region and the world events and processes, as well as a wide range of bilateral, political, economic, social and cultural relations will be discussed and a number of documents will be signed. I am sure the visit will create a solid foundation for the development and achievement of a new level of current relations between the friendly and the neighboring Iran and Azerbaijan,’’ the President of Azerbaijan underlined.
Answering questions about the programs of Azerbaijan to improve the economic potential and increase trade between the two countries, Ilham Aliyev said that after Azerbaijan regained its independence, relations between the countries developed in all directions, including in trade and the economic sphere. However, the current trade turnover is significantly lower than the existing potential.
"Of course, steps will be taken to overcome the current situation in trade relations, the further development of bilateral cooperation. Large-scale economic reforms to reduce the effect of negative trends in the global economy and preserve the dynamic development trends continue in Azerbaijan. At the moment we are working on programs of large-scale investment and privatization, as well as improving the business environment for both local and foreign businessmen. We believe that it will create new opportunities for Iranian businessmen in Azerbaijan. At the same time, the joint State commission on cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Islamic Republic of Iran is actively working in the economic, commercial and humanitarian spheres and several new proposals have been made. Now these proposals are being discussed,’’ the head of Azerbaijan said.
In an interview with Iranian journalists Ilham Aliyev assessed the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"We can confidently say that the continuation of the occupation lasts more than 20 years largely due to the influence currently observed in the world of the policy of double standards. Facts prove that the international community demonstrates a selective approach to similar events taking place in some parts of the world. In some cases, the fact of occupation is sharply condemned and serious mechanisms of action worked out in the shortest period of time to solve the problem. Unfortunately, we can see a passive approach in regard to the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The occupier and the country under occupation have the same attitude. This is injustice due to different approaches. Religious discrimination is demonstrated against Azerbaijan due to the fact that it is a Muslim country. We cannot understand such a clear lack of respect for international law, such frank attempts to justify the aggressive policy,’’ Ilham Aliev said.
"I want to note that the Islamic countries, including Iran, have always supported the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in international organizations and in the bilateral framework. We thank the Islamic Republic of Iran for this fact as a manifestation of fraternal and friendly relations between our countries, as well as the attitude of Iran to the rule of international law.
