Azeri ambassador invites IRNA chief to attend National Day in Baku

Azerbaijan Republic\'s Ambassador to Tehran Javanshir Akhundov on Saturday invited Managing Director of Islamic Republic News Agency Ali-Akbar Javanfekr to attend Azeri National Day in Baku. The ambassador visited IRNA and responded to the reporters’ questions. Javanfekr said that during his recent visit to Baku at the invitation of Azerbaijani Azer TAc managing director, he was impressed with progresses made in Azerbaijan. Javanfekr said that Azerbaijan ambassador visit to IRNA brings two nations closer and hoped that the other Azeri ambassadors would also follow suit.. “There is no distance between the two nations of Iran and Azerbaijan, two countries enjoy lots of common historical and cultural grounds,” he underlined. Javanfekr said that although outside hands don\'t like friendship between Iran and Azerbaijan but hearts of two nations are very close to each other. “Iran and Azerbaijan have been successful in foiling plots of enemies which aims to sow discord between the two countries,” he added. Akhundov, for his part, welcomed his meeting with Javanfekr and IRNA staff, pointing to the coincidence of visiting IRNA with the 20th anniversary of Azerbaijan Republic\'s Independence Day. Referring to 195 dlrs million trade exchange between Iran and Azerbaijan republic, he called for development of political-economic relations between the two countries. The Azerbaijan republic ambassador to Tehran invited director general of IRNA to attend the celebration ceremony of Azerbaijan Independence Day and called for development of relations with Tehran. In the meantime, Director-General of Iran Foreign Ministry Department for the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Reza Kondori who was also present in the meeting emphasized the development of relations between Tehran and Baku. Referring to the upcoming meeting between Iran, Turkey and Azerbaijan, Kondori added that the three countries have showed their friendship to the world in various occasions. Iran has an embassy in Baku and a consulate-general in the autonomous republic of Nakhichevan. Azerbaijan has an embassy in Tehran and a consulate-general in Tabriz. Iran and Azerbaijan have had diplomatic relations since the latter\'s independence from the former Soviet Union. The two countries have a majority Shia population and share many cultural commonalties. The Islamic Republic of Iran has made extensive mediation efforts to settle the dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Karabakh.