Chairman of the Milli Majlis Defence, Security and Counter-Corruption Committee Ziyafet Asgarov met on 16 February with the visiting delegation under Mujtaba Zunnur, Chairman of the National Security and External Policy Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Welcoming the Iranian delegation, Mr Asgarov said that the friendly ties incepted after Azerbaijan had gained independence were advancing today and would continue doing so henceforth.

The two state leaders’ services are great in the onward march of the high-level political relations; the legal documents signed during the two-way visits created a solid legal platform for our relations to advance upon, according to Mr Asgarov.

Exchanged visits and the work done by the parliamentary friendship groups matter for the progress of the relations between the two parliaments; though the visits had to be suspended due to the pandemic, they would necessarily be resumed after it was over, Mr Asgarov was saying. The projects undertaken jointly are all for the benefit of our nations, he added.

Mr Zunnur started by congratulating the people of Azerbaijan on having prevailed in the Patriotic War and asked that the Almighty would rest the fallen warriors’ souls in peace. He also sent his wishes of firmness and endurance to the families of the men killed in action.

Praising the common history and cultural fabric of Azerbaijan and Iran, the visitor stressed that the situation as it was favoured a continued progress of our relations, especially as there is a reliable potential to go with it, too. The parliaments of the two countries are capable of making a weighty contribution to the cause, besides, in the opinion of Mr Zunnur.

Then, the guest talked about the developing the North-South and East-West corridors further and of Iran’s readiness to broaden the co-operation with Azerbaijan in many areas. Iranian companies are keen on the intended restoration and rebuilding of the de-occupied lands of Azerbaijan and possess the appropriate experience; by the way, some of them have expressed their interest in joining relevant projects, Mr Zunnur went on.

Mr Asgarov described the scale and degree of destruction the Armenians caused in the now-free lands of Azerbaijan during their occupation being beyond belief, mentioning then that President Ilham Aliyev had declared restoring those lands and fostering their development afterwards a priority goal. Preference in achieving that goal will understandably be given to the friendly states – including Iran. Then, Mr Asgarov once again thanked the people and leaders of Iran for having supported the right cause and justice that were on Azerbaijan’s side in that matter.

Chief of the Milli Majlis Staff Safa Mirzayev, members of the Azerbaijani parliamentary Committee for Defence, Security and Counter-Corruption Arzu Naghiyev and Kamal Jafarov, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Azerbaijan Seyid Abbas Mousavi and other officials were taking part in the meeting as well.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis