Azerbaijan, Iran top diplomats discuss bilateral ties, regional issues over phone

By Ruslan Rehimov

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AA) – In a significant step toward breaking the ice in relations between Iran and Azerbaijan, the countries' top diplomats discussed the normalization of their bilateral relations, regional issues, and developments in the region following the second Karabakh war.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian discussed different issues in their phone conversation, with a primary focus on bilateral and regional issues.

The ministers exchanged views on various "bilateral and regional topics, as well as developments in the region following the 2nd Karabakh war," Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued on Sunday.

They also discussed issues raised by recent meetings of the co-chairs of the Azerbaijan-Iran Joint State Commission, as well as future steps.

They also highlighted the contributions of recent contacts between the prosecutor general and senior military officials of the two countries to the development of bilateral relations.

Along with that, they also discussed actions required for Azerbaijan and Iran's relations to fully normalize.

The peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan has suffered setbacks due to provocative actions by the Yerevan administration, Bayramov said, citing the presence of over 10,000 armed Armenian forces in the Karabakh region that pose a serious threat to the region.

Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

In the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages, and settlements from Armenian occupation during 44 days of clashes. The war ended with a Russia-brokered cease-fire.

Tensions between the two nations, however, continue despite ongoing talks over a long-term peace agreement.