No room for foreign interference in region if neighbors work out differences: Iran’s president

Raeisi made the remarks in a Sunday meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the 15th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in Turkmenistan’s capital city of Ashgabat.

Iran’s chief executive pointed to the deeply-rooted historical, cultural, and religious commonalities between Iran and Azerbaijan, saying, “The two countries enjoy long-standing and close bilateral relations and will not allow such ties to be damaged by enemies.”

Raeisi also pointed to Iran’s unwavering support for Azerbaijan’s independence and territorial integrity, saying, “We will not allow any form of insecurity and foreign presence in the region.”

“Experience shows that wherever regional states resolved their issues through common understanding and dialog, no room was left for foreign interference and incitement,” the Iranian president noted.

Raeisi expressed concern over growing instability in the region due to the presence of extra-regional forces, describing the Daesh terrorist group and Israel’s acts of terrorism as the two major threats facing the region that have to be confronted.

He went to say that Washington and the Tel Aviv regime are seeking to disrupt Tehran-Baku ties, calling on Azerbaijan to exercise vigilance against such conspiracies.

He further stressed that foreign interference will harm the interests of regional countries.

The Iranian president also welcomed Aliyev’s call for the development of transit routes and stronger economic relations between the two neighboring countries.

For his part, the Azerbaijani president stated that Baku attaches special importance to its relations with Tehran and will never allow such ties to be disrupted.

Referring to the talks and contacts between the officials of the two countries to resolve some misunderstandings between the two countries, Aliyev said, “We are committed to the security of the border areas and will not allow any country to disrupt bilateral relations.”

Aliyev highlighted that his government was determined to resolve existing transit obstacles and to facilitate the activities of Iranian companies present in Azerbaijan.