Baku deepens ties with Tehran as peace push with Yerevan gains momentum

Azerbaijan’s Presidential Assistant and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, Hikmet Hajiyev, has stated that bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Iran have entered a new phase of development.

In an interview with Iran’s Tasnim news agency during his visit to Tehran for the Tehran Dialogue Forum, Hajiyev emphasized that the foundation for this new phase was laid by the recent official visit of Iranian President Pezeshkian to Azerbaijan. During that visit, substantive one-on-one and delegation-level discussions between President Ilham Aliyev and President Pezeshkian provided renewed momentum to Azerbaijan-Iran relations.

“Our joint task with our Iranian counterparts is now to take these relations further forward,” Hajiyev said.

In the same interview, Hajiyev also addressed ongoing efforts to normalize relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. He noted that steps are being taken in this direction and underscored that the current regional reality is shaped by legality and legitimacy.

“Thanks to the policies pursued by the Republic of Azerbaijan, our territories were liberated from occupation, and Azerbaijan has fully restored its territorial integrity,” he said. “A new status quo has emerged in the South Caucasus, one that is no longer based on occupation or aggression but on international law, legitimacy, and legal norms. This has created a highly favorable environment for peace in the region.”

According to Hajiyev, the South Caucasus is currently witnessing a period of unprecedented calm and opportunity:

“We can confidently say that there is de facto peace in the region. Since both countries gained independence, this is the most favorable moment for peace and stability. Now, Azerbaijan is working to anchor this reality within a legal framework that ensures sustainable and definitive peace.”