The president of Iran warned the Republic of Azerbaijan of the unfortunate consequences of outsiders establishing a foothold in the region.

According to The Iran Project, in a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev, held in Tehran on Monday, President Masoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed Iran’s respect for the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Iran maintains that the sovereignty of no state should be disregarded, the president said, warning, however, that the establishment of the foreign countries’ foothold in the region would not be in the interests of the regional nations.

“We believe that we can ensure security and address our problems through cooperation. This is the principled policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s administration, which we have always emphasized,” Pezeshkian added.

He then called for plans to ease trade interaction among the Islamic countries, saying there is no need to construct walls along the borders in order to strengthen security, establish calm or promote relations among the states.

Pezeshkian further welcomed initiatives to expand railroad and land route connections between Iran and the Azerbaijan Republic, saying Tehran seeks to promote cooperation with Baku in various fields, as in the energy sector and agriculture.