Azerbaijan-Iran-Russia Summit starts in Tehran
Monitoring Desk: Azerbaijan-Iran-Russia Summit (Tripartite Summit) held in Tehran today (Wednesday November 1, 2017) without disclosing detail agenda to international media.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held separate meetings with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani before Trilateral Talks begun.
Speaking to international media after concluding Trilateral Summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that North South Corridor linking India with Iran and Russia has a bright future and it is viable economically. He hoped to extend corridor as far as Azerbaijan.
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei also held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin before inaugural session of Summit.
Iranian Foreign Ministry through a statement said that the agenda items of Summit included discussion on cooperation in the areas of commerce, terrorism in region, energy, communications and transit trade.
While Russia media indicated that President Putin also discussed increasing US sanctions pressure on Iran and Russia during his meeting with President Hassan Rouhani.
It is pertinent to mention that Chief of Russian armed forces Gen. Valery Gerasimov held meeting Iranian Chief of forces Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri in Tehran before Tripartite Summit started.
Media of Azerbaijan reported that today’s Summit was in connection with August 2016 Summit that took place in Baku and Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Hassan Rouhani and President Ilham Aliyev decided to continue their consultations for ways of enhancing cooperation in the areas of commerce, energy, communications, transport, transit issues related with fight against terrorism.
“Visit of President Putin to Tehran is not very significant for diplomatic circles because he had been in Tehran in year 2007 and then in year 2015 and he had several meetings with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in recent past. The significance of this Summit is its timing because Saudi King who recently visited Moscow accused Iran for promoting terrorism in the regime and blamed Tehran for burning Middle East. Western diplomats hope that Russia would neutralise its tilt towards Tehran after this high profile Russia-Saudi Arabia contact”, reports Eurasia News.
Enhancing Iran- Azerbaijan relations are also consider as a critical development in Jerusalem because Azerbaijan is one of the closest ally of Israel in Central Asia.
Israeli newspaper Raaretz reports “Azerbaijan and Russia have built increasingly close economic and security ties with Israel. Neither are likely allies, but geopolitical dynamics have pushed both Russia and Azerbaijan closer to Israel, therefore Israel watches towards their relations with Iran critically”.
“The talks in Tehran were to focus on regional matters, as well as terrorism and security issues. The three countries share the Caspian Sea and new railways and roads projects were discussed at their meeting as well”, reports Eurasia News.
