Rouhani: Iran ready to broaden energy ties with Azerbaijan

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tehran is ready to help Azerbaijan with technical know-how and technology to assist the Central Asian state in developing its energy reserves. “Iran is ready to forge closer energy ties with Azerbaijan and transfer its know-how in oil and gas sectors to its northern neighbor,” President Rouhani said in a meeting with his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday. The Iranian president reiterated that Tehran and Baku share many commonalities, and said, “Azerbaijan’s progress is very important for Iran.” Aliyev, for his part, termed the cultural, religious and social commonalities between Azerbaijan and Iran as a strong point in the expansion of Baku-Tehran relations. The two presidents also exchanged viewpoints on current regional issues, cultural ties and the development of bilateral business cooperation, and invited each other to visit their respective countries. Iran has recently enhanced efforts to boost political, economic and cultural ties and cooperation with the regional and neighboring countries, specially the Central Asian states. In October 2012, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad traveled to Baku to attend the 12th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). The Iranian and Azeri presidents met on the sidelines of the Summit, where both leaders reiterated the necessity for exploring new avenues to develop bilateral ties and cooperation.