Baku: On December 8, Jeyhun Bayramov, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with his Iranian counterpart, Seyed Abbas Araghchi. The ministers first held a one-on-one meeting, which was later continued in an expanded format with the participation of their delegations.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, the meetings focused on the topical issues of the Azerbaijan-Iran bilateral and multilateral cooperation agenda, as well as the regional and global developments. The ministers noted that the relations between the two states are grounded in the principles of good neighborliness and mutual respect, as well as shared historical, cultural, and religious roots between the two peoples.
The Foreign Ministers emphasized the importance of the friendly relations between the Presidents of the two countries, noting that the visits of the Iranian President to Azerbaijan in 2025 and his meetings with the Azerbaijani President have invigorated bilateral cooperation. They highlighted that political and consular consultations, the Azerbaijan-Iran State Commission on economic, trade, and humanitarian cooperation, inter-parliamentary relations, and a comprehensive bilateral legal framework have supported the sustainable development of bilateral relations.
Economic cooperation was a key point of discussion, with focus on economy, trade, energy, transport, and logistics. The officials acknowledged that the economic potential and geographical proximity of the two countries provide favorable conditions for increasing mutual trade and investment volumes. They expressed confidence in the joint activities within the North-South International Transport Corridor and new connectivity projects between Azerbaijan’s East Zangezur economic region and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic to boost regional transit opportunities. Ongoing construction efforts on the road and bridge between Aghband and Kalala were also praised.
In terms of humanitarian cooperation, the ministers discussed increased flight frequency on the Baku-Tehran-Baku and Baku-Tabriz-Baku routes, which promotes people-to-people contacts. Opportunities for enhancing cooperation in science, education, culture, youth, sports, healthcare, and tourism were also reviewed.
The meetings further delved into international and regional cooperation, with both ministers commending the mutual trust and support within organizations such as the UN, UNESCO, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, along with other regional platforms like the 3+3 format.
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov briefed his Iranian counterpart on the latest developments regarding the Azerbaijan-Armenia normalization process and the outcomes of the Washington Summit. He stressed the importance of Armenia removing territorial claims from its constitution to ensure lasting peace. Bayramov also outlined Azerbaijan’s restoration efforts in liberated territories, the existing mine threat, and the resettlement of former Azerbaijani IDPs.
The ministers concluded by making press statements on the outcomes of the meetings and responded to questions from journalists.