Facing growing US pressures, Iran looks north for economic, security cooperation

Tabnak – As part of its efforts to nullify the effects of Washington’s increasingly hostile moves, Iran has been trying to expand ties with the neighboring countries. While the Iranian foreign minister is in Istanbul for tripartite talks with his Turkish and Azeri counterparts, Iran’s top military commander is set to hold high-ranking talks with the Azeri military officials.

In this vein, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif travelled to Istanbul for a trilateral meeting with his Turkish and Azeri counterparts. Zarif left Tehran for the Turkish city on Monday morning for the sixth trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Iran, Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Heading a diplomatic delegation, the Iranian minister is going to hold talks with Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Azerbaijan’s Elmar Mammadyarov.

During the five previous meetings, Iran, Turkey and Azerbaijan exchanged views on a broad range of issues in various economic fields including transit, transportation, energy, and customs, as well as political issues. The three neighbors have also coordinated political cooperation on regional issues like contributing to peace and stability in the region.

Meanwhile, it is reported that Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri will pay an official visit to Azerbaijan for the first time to discuss ways to boost mutual defense cooperation and fight against terrorism.

Heading a high-ranking military delegation, Baqeri will travel to Baku for a two-day visit at the invitation of Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister Lieutenant General Zakir Hasanov in the near future.

The expansion of cooperation in border areas and the latest developments in the region are also on the agenda of talks between the top Iranian commander and senior Azeri officials.

Addressing a press conference in the Azerbaijani capital Baku in February, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said Iran remains committed to security of its neighboring countries and will help them maintain it.

"We are committed to this policy and have told our allies in Azerbaijan that this policy has helped us bring security to different parts of the region," added Hatami, who was flanked by his Azeri counterpart.

The first meeting of Iran-Azerbaijan Joint Defense Commission was held in Baku on in October 2017 with the participation of a high-ranking delegation from Iran’s Defense Ministry.

The session was aimed at exchanging views about avenues for strengthening joint cooperation in the defense and military sectors.