Tasnim – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani expressed the country’s readiness to provide the Republic of Azerbaijan with the necessary equipment for containing the novel coronavirus and share its experiences in the battle with the contagious disease with neighboring states.

In a telephone conversation with his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev on Monday, Rouhani said Iran is prepared to offer its experiences in the fight against COVID-19 to neighboring and friendly nations.

“We are ready to provide the friendly country of Azerbaijan with the equipment for dealing with the coronavirus if necessary,” he added.

“Fortunately, with the measures taken and people's good cooperation with medical and health protocols and the efforts of the medical staff, the trend of COVID-19 in Iran has been declining,” the Iranian president’s official website quoted him as saying.

Referring to the friendly and good relations between Tehran and Baku, Rouhani said the recent cooperation between the two countries shows that Iran and Azerbaijan are side by side in difficult days.

He also pointed to the talks between the officials of the two countries to provide the ground for the implementation of the bilateral agreements and promotion of cooperation. “I hope all the agreements between the two countries, including the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway, would go well and be implemented.”

For his part, the Azeri president explained the measures taken in the country to combat coronavirus, and added, “The interactions and transportation projects between the two countries still continue despite the current special conditions and the ban on travel aimed at combating the outbreak of coronavirus.”

“Despite the problems caused by coronavirus, we are reviewing the opening of the Astara-Rasht railway project in a video conference,” Aliyev said.

Referring to Iran's success in the fight against coronavirus, the Azeri president said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran has a strong health system and we welcome Iran's experience in the fight against coronavirus."