IRNA - President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that the will of the Islamic Republic of Iran is based on establishing closer and more friendly ties with the Republic of Azerbaijan.


'Today we are witnessing mutual ties undergoing great upheaval due to such an existing will,' President Rouhani said in a meeting with his Azerbaijan counterpart President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the summit of the Caspian Sea littoral states in Aktau, Kazakhstan.

Referring to the deep cultural and religious commonalties between Tehran and Baku, Rouhani stressed that Iran sees its relationship with Azerbaijan as deep brotherly bonds beyond relations between the two neighboring states.

The ill wishers are angry at close ties between the two countries, Rouhani said, noting that Tehran and Baku by increasing their cooperation and coordinating their efforts would not allow the ill wishers to mar their mutual ties.

The Iranian president also said both countries enjoyed numerous capacities for expansion and strengthening bilateral relations in the interest of both nations.

For his part, President Aliyev said Baku is after upgrading the level of cooperation and coordination with Iran, noting that over the past five years, Iran-Azerbaijan relationship has expanded to the highest level due to the mutual confidence between the two states.

He also said the Republic of Azerbaijan has time and again condemned US sanctions against the Iranian nation, adding that Baku's stance on Iran is based on the principle of brotherhood and international laws.