Here are just a few brief quotes from the speeches of the two countries’ leaders during that historic meeting, which, as they say, speak for themselves:
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev: “…Today’s ceremony is another manifestation of our friendship. Today the whole world sees how strong the Iran-Azerbaijan friendship is. This friendship has deep roots and a deep history. For centuries, the Iranian and Azerbaijani peoples have lived and created together, and today I believe that interstate relations built on this solid foundation have reached the highest level…”
Here are the words spoken by the former President of Iran, Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, before his tragic death: “…We are, of course, brotherly, neighboring, and friendly countries. Moreover, as the Supreme Religious Leader stated, Iran’s relations with Azerbaijan are more than just good-neighborly. These are kinship relations. This is a very strong, very deep bond based on the deep historical, cultural, and religious ties between the two countries. Of course, our peoples and countries are united by historical interconnections. This bond comes from the hearts, and it is unbreakable. Despite everything, nothing can harm or shake the relations between the two countries. These relations will grow and strengthen every day…”
However, the statements made by the presidents at the Araz River are not just words of respect or purely based on the economic interests of the states. Yes, there were certain political complications between Azerbaijan and Iran, but the political will of Ilham Aliyev and the late Ebrahim Raisi managed to resolve all disagreements and bring relations to a path of friendship and mutual understanding. It is probably unnecessary to talk about the Khudafarin and Giz Galasi hydro-junction construction project, as much has already been written about it.
Let us briefly remind that the idea of creating these hydro-junctions dates back to the Soviet period when, in 1977, a corresponding project was developed by the Soviet Union and Iran. In the early 1990s, it was revised and refined, but construction did not start because Armenian separatism in the region sparked a war against Azerbaijan, which not only automatically increased the risks of implementing such projects but also made them unfeasible. Later, in 2020, Azerbaijan resolved the Karabakh issue, and after a year, when AzerEnergy JSC was designated as the project contractor, the construction of dams at the Khudafarin and Giz Galasi hydro-junctions began. Thanks to these facilities, electricity production will be improved, and it will be possible to supply irrigation fields with water, economically using the waters of the Araz River.
This project is already completed, and it remains to wait for the reservoirs to be fully filled with water (so far, only 40% of the total volume has been collected in Khudafarin, and 85% in Giz Galasi). And now, another major and already transport project, which is very important for Azerbaijan and Iran, is next in line. It can be called a joint project because the creation and subsequent modernization of modern railway and road infrastructure in both Iran and Azerbaijan will turn the North-South transport corridor into one of the world’s most important transport arteries.
Today, as is known, a new highway bridge is being built towards Agbend, which will connect the road infrastructures of the two countries. Its foundation was laid on October 6, 2023, as part of the implementation of a corresponding Memorandum of Understanding between the governments of the countries on creating new communication links between the East Zangazur economic region of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan through the territory of Iran. The event was attended by Deputy Prime Minister, co-chairman of the State Commission on Economic, Trade, and Humanitarian Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran Shahin Mustafayev and Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development, co-chairman of the commission from the Iranian side Mehrdad Bazrpash.
The parties stated that after the completion of construction, the number of freight and other vehicles that the border checkpoint and the highway bridge can handle daily will be no less than 1,100 vehicles. An international road with seven lanes will be able to fully serve trailers along routes passing through Turkey to Europe and back, through Iranian ports with access to the Persian Gulf.
To accelerate construction, on October 30, 2023, Ilham Aliyev signed an order allocating an additional 14 million manats for the continuation of work on the construction of the Goradiz-Jabrayil-Zangilan-Agbend road connection with Iran and the bridge over the Araz River.
It is probably worth reminding that a day before the meeting at the Araz River with Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, Ilham Aliyev laid the foundation for the Minjivan settlement in the Zangilan district, the village of Sarijally in the Jabrayil district, and a number of other economic and social facilities. These are located near the very same republican road Ahmədbəyli-Goradiz-Minjivan-Agbend and the Goradiz-Agbend railway line. These settlements are part of the social infrastructure being established along the transport routes.
It is also worth noting that equally intensive construction of roads and railways is taking place on the Iranian side, as stated by the head of that state, and it is expected that all work on both the Azerbaijani and Iranian sides will be completed by the end of this year.
Undoubtedly, these successes were achieved thanks to close contacts at both the economic and political levels. The Azerbaijani embassy in Iran, which will open soon, will only strengthen these ties. As is known, after a rather high-profile incident with our embassy in January last year, there was a serious risk to the life and safety of our people. However, after that incident, all disagreements between the parties were fully resolved, the person who committed the crime was punished, and the safety of Azerbaijani diplomatic workers was guaranteed by the Iranian side. So soon, we will witness the opening of the Azerbaijani embassy in Iran. Moreover, it will operate in a new building, as finding a location and renovations took some time.
Rauf Nasirov
Translated from minval.az
