Iran, Azerbaijan discuss rail, energy, Caspian oil cooperation
17th joint economic commission kicks off in Baku
Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Farzaneh Sadegh Malvajerd met Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Monday to discuss new rail infrastructure, shared oil fields, transport cooperation, new border facilities and energy collaboration ahead of the 17th Iran-Azerbaijan Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation.
According to IRNA, Sadegh Malvajerd met Aliyev before the commission’s meeting, emphasizing the importance of bilateral relations and outlining key priorities for economic cooperation, which the Azerbaijani president also underscored.
Expanding transport cooperation, particularly strengthening regional connectivity and transit corridors, was among the main topics. The sides also discussed boosting energy cooperation, putting new border infrastructure into operation and constructing new rail links between the two countries.
They exchanged views on joint oil fields in the Caspian Sea and methods of extracting resources from them, as well as on expanding bilateral and multilateral regional cooperation with neighboring countries in transport and energy sectors.
The meeting stressed that the outcomes of discussions within the framework of the 17th joint economic commission should be finalized and that new agreements between the two countries should be drafted and signed.
During the talks, Aliyev thanked Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian for his message and welcomed the expansion of bilateral relations. “Projects implemented jointly by Iran and Azerbaijan will provide extensive opportunities for both countries and the region,” he said.
Specialized and expert-level sessions of the commission began in Baku with the participation of specialists from both countries in transport, energy, oil and power. The meetings are being held on Sunday and Monday, co-chaired by Sadegh Malvajerd and Azerbaijan’s Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev as heads of the two sides’ commissions.
Amin Taraffo, head of the international affairs department at Iran’s Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, said, “Development of transport cooperation, completion of border infrastructure and expansion of cultural interactions are among the most important axes of this assembly, and final agreements will be signed in the form of a memorandum by the heads of the two countries’ commissions.”
“In this meeting, the two sides will negotiate on all areas of bilateral cooperation, and programs and capacities that should be realized and developed between the two countries by next year will be discussed and exchanged,” he added.
“At the end of this assembly, the summary of negotiations and agreements reached in economic, cultural and other areas of cooperation will be signed in the framework of a final memorandum by the heads of the joint commissions of the two countries,” Taraffo said.
He noted that cooperation between Tehran and Baku has been expanding over the past year and a half.
“Border infrastructure between Iran and Azerbaijan, both in the rail and road sectors, is developing and transforming, and this trend can play an important role in facilitating trade exchanges,” he said.