Iran Pledges Support for Azerbaijan’s Territorial Integrity

“The Islamic Republic of Iran and Azerbaijan enjoy historical, cultural and religious commonalities which will leave impacts on the deepening and expansion of relations between the two countries,” the Iranian defense minister said at a joint press conference with his Azeri counterpart Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov, here in Tehran on Tuesday.

The visiting Azeri defense minister arrived in Tehran on Monday for a two-day visit at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart.

As regards the meetings between high-ranking military officials of Iran and Azerbaijan over the past two days, Dehqan announced that the two sides have discussed diverse topics.

“On the regional issues, we have common and important stances, which we put on the agenda.”

The Iranian minister also expressed gratitude to neighboring Azerbaijan’s nation and government for their supportive attitudes towards Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program, noting that Iran will in return support the Republic of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

He further said the Azeri minister’s visit to Iran has opened up a new chapter in Tehran-Baku cooperation.

Dehqan also emphasized the necessity of protecting Iran-Azerbaijan friendly relations against negative moves, and added, “We must be seriously careful about the extremist streams that are opposed to the formation of (close) ties between the two countries.”

In relevant comments on Monday, Dehqan renewed Tehran’s support for Baku, and expressed his ministry’s preparedness to provide Azerbaijan with whatever defensive assistance it needs.

He had announced that Iran’s defense ministry is prepared to meet the Republic of Azerbaijan’s defensive needs.