BAKU, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Friday received Iranian Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics Aziz Nasirzadeh, offering Azerbaijan's support to help de-escalate regional tensions, the presidential press service said.
During talks on bilateral ties and defense cooperation, Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan is concerned about the current regional situation and stands ready to provide support to reduce tensions, as he had conveyed during his phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who instructed Nasirzadeh to visit Baku.
He emphasized that while wars and conflicts persist in many parts of the world, peace has been established in the South Caucasus thanks to Azerbaijan's initiative. He expressed confidence that this development is of great importance to Iran, which borders both Azerbaijan and Armenia.
During the meeting, both sides said that the development of bilateral relations is based on principles of friendship, brotherhood and good-neighborliness, and exchanged views on prospects for defense cooperation.
The meeting follows a recent pledge by Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry that the country will never allow its airspace or territory to be used by any state for military operations against neighboring Iran or any other country. ■
