Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Baku on Monday for high-level consultations with senior Azerbaijani officials, including President Ilham Aliyev, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, and Speaker of Parliament Sahiba Gafarova.
The meetings focused on advancing bilateral relations, political cooperation, and mechanisms for managing ties between the two neighbors.
At a joint press conference with Bayramov, Araghchi stressed that the most important outcome of the talks was the agreement to continue dialogue, consultations, and reciprocal visits.
“We share many commonalities and mutual interests in cooperation,” he said, “but there are also disagreements and misunderstandings that must be resolved through dialogue.” He added that both sides decided to initiate and sustain meetings between officials at various levels to address outstanding issues.
Araghchi welcomed the improving relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, noting that peace efforts between the two countries would benefit the wider region. He highlighted Azerbaijan’s proposal to host the next “3+3” regional format meeting in Baku, followed by another in Yerevan, stressing that strengthening this mechanism would contribute to stability across the South Caucasus.
The format is a diplomatic initiative in the South Caucasus that brings together three local countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia) and three neighboring powers (Iran, Turkey, Russia) to discuss peace, security, and economic cooperation.
Relations between Iran and Azerbaijan, however, have faced strains in recent years. In January 2023, a gunman attacked Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tehran, killing its security chief and wounding two guards. The embassy was closed for more than a year before reopening in July 2024 after negotiations between the two governments.
Another persistent source of friction has been Azerbaijan’s close partnership with Israel, particularly in the defense and energy sectors. Tensions deepened following Israel’s 12 day conflict earlier this year, when some observers accused Baku of complicity—alleging that it provided intelligence and access to its airspace. Azerbaijan has firmly rejected these claims.
Despite such strains, Iran has moved to restore and expand ties with its northern neighbor. In April, President Masoud Pezeshkian paid an official visit to Baku, where the two sides signed more than 50 agreements covering trade, transport, media, and cultural cooperation. He returned in July to participate in the ECO summit, underscoring Tehran’s renewed commitment to regional engagement.
