BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar. 15: Azerbaijan and Iran conduct discussions on the joint development of oil fields in the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Iran Ali Alizada told Trend.

In his words, there are some proposals from the Iranian side on the development of oil fields. Of course, he said, these proposals are evaluated by Azerbaijani relevant authorities.

According to Alizada, the relevant bodies of Azerbaijan are currently conducting discussions with all parties on Azerbaijan’s participation in the activation of the Persian Gulf – Black Sea route. A number of discussions on the establishment of the Persian Gulf-Black Sea route have already been carried out. In this regard, all issues have been considered by the proposed member states. Azerbaijan has also been proposed to take part in activating the route. If it serves the interests of our country, of course, Azerbaijan will participate in the activation of this route.

The ambassador also added that work is underway between Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia on a project to establish a North-South energy corridor. In this regard, on February 22, 2022, a meeting of energy ministers of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia was held in Doha, Qatar and certain discussions were conducted.

At the same time, bilateral meetings were also held between Azerbaijan and Iran and necessary discussions were conducted in this direction. Regular meetings are held in video format among the working groups of the mentioned countries. All three countries support the implementation of this project. The necessary work on this project must be implemented by the Monenco Iran Consulting Engineers Company. The relevant authorities of Azerbaijan will assess this. Currently, work is underway in this direction. We are confident that the project will be implemented in the near future.

“Hopefully the construction of a new bridge over the Astarachay River on the border between Azerbaijan and Iran will be completed and put into operation in a short time. The construction of the mentioned bridge has already begun and is progressing rapidly. The new bridge will facilitate the movement of both vehicles and people. Azerbaijan-Iran relations, trade and economic relations are developing every year. Taking into account the trade congestion on the borders, the governments of both countries have decided to build new bridges. One of them is the Astara bridge, the foundation of which has already been laid. We are confident that the bridge will contribute to the growth of trade and economic ties in the future,” he said.

Alizada pointed out that as is known, within the meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Iran in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, a contract was signed on the swap of Turkmen gas to Azerbaijan via Iran. The project has been implemented since the beginning of this year. In this regard, there is great cooperation in both bilateral and trilateral formats.

Azerbaijan and Iran conduct discussions on the joint development of oil fields in the Caspian Sea. There are some proposals from the Iranian side on the development of oil fields. Of course, these proposals are evaluated by our relevant authorities.

If the proposals for the projects are updated, they will be discussed at the next meeting of the Azerbaijan-Iran Intergovernmental Joint Economic Commission to be held in Baku soon and the future prospects in this regard will be determined by our relevant authorities.

Both the Azerbaijani side has offered and invited Iranian companies to work on the reconstruction of the liberated territories, as well as, the Iranian side is very interested in participating in the reconstruction and restoration work. If any Iranian company wants to invest in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan, it can apply to the relevant authorities of Azerbaijan.

Alizada noted that a joint meeting of businessmen of the two countries is planned before the meeting of the Azerbaijan-Iran Intergovernmental Joint Economic Commission to be held in Baku. During the mentioned meeting, the businessmen will get acquainted with the investment opportunities created in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan. After getting acquainted with these opportunities, Iranian businessmen will share their views with us.

According to the ambassador, during his visit to the Iranian cities of Tabriz and Urmia, he met with governors of East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan provinces, representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as chambers of commerce, and invited Iranian companies to invest in Azerbaijan’s liberated territories, to participate in reconstruction work. Several Iranian companies have already shown interest. They are currently studying the projects and researching the opportunities created. Of course, if both sides are satisfied, these projects will be implemented

In particular, Iran Tractor Manufacturing Company (ITMCO) also known as Tabriz Tractor Sazi Company is also interested in establishing its branch in the liberated territories.