Azerbaijani defense minister to visit Iran for talks

Azerbaijani Defense Minister Colonel General Zakir Hasanov is going to pay an official visit to Iran to discuss issues of mutual interest as well as regional and international developments with top Iranian officials.

Heading a high-ranking defense delegation, Hasanov will depart Baku for Tehran on Monday at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart, Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan.

During his two-day visit, the Azerbaijani defense minister will hold two rounds of talks with Dehqan, and will also exchange views on bilateral, regional and international issues with senior Iranian authorities.

On April 9, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei called for the expansion of bilateral ties between Iran and Azerbaijan.

“Relations between the two nations and the governments must be strengthened day by day,” Ayatollah Khamenei stated during a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Tehran.

“Of course, the Zionist regime (of Israel), among some others, is not happy with the strong ties between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, and constantly disrupts this process,” the Leader pointed out.

During the meeting, Aliyev emphasized Baku’s determination to boost its ties with Tehran in various fields, including in industry, trade and tourism sectors.

He stressed that the deep-rooted ties between the two Muslim countries will never allow any third party to influence the relations between them.