Gathering in the Flock

Ahmadinejad Will Visit
Baku
Upswing in Tehran-Ankara Cooperation


BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 20--President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will begin an official visit to neighboring Azerbaijan Republic on Tuesday, seeking to counter US influence in the oil-rich, fellow Muslim country.

Officials said a number of bilateral agreements would be signed with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev during the two-day visit, including energy and transportation deals.

Although Ahmadinejad has visited Baku earlier to attend international events, the trip will be his first official visit to the country, said Mahjid Feizullan, the spokesman of the Iranian Embassy in Baku, Reuters reported.

Azerbaijan has close diplomatic and trade relations with Iran, with which it shares strong historical and religious ties. But the country is also a key US ally in the strategic Caucasus, which is wedged between Iran and Russia. The US has strongly backed a corridor of pipelines to deliver Azerbaijani oil and gas through Turkey to Western markets.

Washington has also provided military assistance and held joint exercises with Azerbaijan which, in turn, allows its airspace to be used by NATO planes for crucial access to Central Asia and Afghanistan.

Washington has expressed interest in obtaining the use of airfields in Azerbaijan for military purposes. This is while Azerbaijan has categorically rejected rumors that it would let US troops use its territory to attack neighboring countries.
Analysts said Ahmadinejad would be looking to address Tehran’s concerns about Azerbaijan’s pro-Western course.

The two leaders were also expected to discuss a long-running dispute over maritime borders in the Caspian Sea. Iran and Azerbaijan, along with the other states with Caspian shorelines, namely Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan, have been unable to agree on how to divide up the sea.
Meanwhile, in a meeting with Turkey’s Energy Minister Hilmi Guler in Tehran on Monday, Ahmadinejad said Iranian and Turkish nations have friendly ties.
The chief executive noted that no foreign source can adversely affect Tehran-Ankara ties and it is being consolidated by the day, IRNA reported.
“Advances and victories of the Turkish nation make Iranians happy,“ he said.
Ahmadinejad opined that good relations between two countries can be beneficial for both Iran and Turkey, as well as the region and the world.

The president pointed out that Iran considers no limits to its ties with Turkey.
Guler, for his part, expressed satisfaction over his talks with Iranian officials and described ties between two countries as satisfactory.

He said Iran and Turkey can take big strides for further national development.
Noting that Iran-Turkey cooperation in energy sector is important, Guler expressed his country’s readiness to promote relations in other areas as well.
Turkey has signed a deal with Iran to annually import 3-6 billion kilowatt/hours of electricity from the Islamic Republic, Turkey’s Energy Minister said on Monday.
“Details regarding the production and import of the electricity are still to be worked out,“ he said.

On Sunday, an energy official told Reuters that Turkey also expected to build three power plants with Iran, which would have a total capacity of 6,000 MW. The plants will be built in both countries.
In July, Iran and Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding to pave the way for $3.5 billion worth of Turkish investment in Iran’s South Pars gas field, said Turkish energy officials.

The deal would also turn Iran into a transit country for Turkmen gas on its way to Turkey.


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