ISTANBUL
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Friday reaffirmed his country’s readiness to provide support in de-escalating growing tensions between Iran and the US amid talks with Tehran’s top defense official.
A statement by Azerbaijan’s presidency said Aliyev reaffirmed Baku’s position as he met a delegation from Tehran led by Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, recalling that he mentioned this during a recent phone call with his counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian in which he also conveyed his country’s concern about the current regional situation.
Again referring to his phone conversation with Pezeshkian held on Jan. 21, Aliyev said high-level contacts between the two countries in various formats provide excellent opportunities to discuss issues on their agenda.
“Highlighting that President Masoud Pezeshkian’s official visit to Azerbaijan last year was successful and yielded positive results, President Ilham Aliyev stated that relations have developed further since that visit,” the statement said.
It further said that while conflicts continue in many parts of the world today, peace has already been established in the South Caucasus, expressing confidence that this holds great importance for Iran, which borders both Azerbaijan and Armenia.
“We want peace throughout the world, no bloodshed, no wars,” Aliyev was quoted as saying, stressing that Azerbaijan exemplifies a successful transition from war to peace.
For his part, Nasirzadeh conveyed greetings from the Iranian president and that he came to Baku on the instructions of Pezeshkian, who “holds great affection for Azerbaijan.”
“During the conversation, they noted the development of bilateral relations based on principles of friendship, brotherhood, and good-neighborliness between the two countries, and exchanged views on prospects for defense cooperation,” the statement added.
Aliyev’s meeting with Nasirzadeh comes as Iran and the US started nuclear negotiations in the Omani capital Muscat, amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran, fueled by an American military buildup in the Persian Gulf and repeated threats of military action by US President Donald Trump.
In recent days, several countries have stepped in and offered to mediate between Tehran and Washington to ease tensions, with Türkiye playing a particularly active role.
The US and its ally Israel accuse Iran of seeking to produce nuclear weapons, while Tehran says its nuclear program is designed for peaceful purposes, including electricity generation.
