Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, met Sunday afternoon, with Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan. President Rouhani was also present at the meeting.
Speaking at the meeting, His Eminence described the existence of a common religion as the most important factor behind the feeling of closeness and friendliness between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the people and officials of Azerbaijan, reiterating: “The level of economic cooperation between Iran and Azerbaijan is very low considering the capacities and resources of the two countries. The volume of economic interactions should increase by 10 times compared to the present time.”
The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution described the position of the Azerbaijani government on the Islamic Republic of Iran – particularly on the issue of the nuclear negotiations – as very good and added: “The government of Azerbaijan has continuously stood by Iran in international circles and meetings and these positive positions will help the two countries to get closer to one another more than ever.”
Referring to the anger that the enemies feel because of the existence of these cordial relations between Iran and Azerbaijan, Ayatollah Khamenei stated: “More than everyone else, the malicious Zionist regime is trying to undermine the brotherly relations between Iran and Azerbaijan. Therefore, these friendly relations should be protected in reaction to this effort.”
Praising the people of Azerbaijan and their religious orientations, His Eminence said: “It is in the best interest of the government of Azerbaijan to reciprocate the religious feelings of the people in a way that they will not have any concern about religious matters on the part of the government.”
The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution mentioned that supporting and relying on the people is the most important factor in developing immunity against certain powers: “If the government of Azerbaijan enjoys the support of the people, no power can harm you. We too will pray for the success of the government and people of Azerbaijan.”
The president of Azerbaijan pointed to the historical, cultural and religious bonds between Iran and Azerbaijan and stressed: “Iran and Azerbaijan have always stayed together and they continue to do so in the present time. The visit of about one million Azerbaijani people to Iran in the previous year is an example of these cultural and religious bonds and common points.”
