A conference on "Azerbaijan-Turkey-Iran trilateral relations" was organized by the Center for Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center) in Baku on September 22. The conference was attended by delegations led by Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran, Director of the Institute for International and Political Studies (IPIS) Mohammad Kazem Sajjadpour and Director of the Center for Iranian Studies (IRAM) Haqqı Uyqur from Turkey. During his introduction speech at the conference, the AIR Center Chairman Farid Shafiyev stressed that delegations from both centers arrived in Azerbaijan at the invitation of the AIR Center. He noted that the long-planned conference has been postponed several times due to the pandemic. Farid Shafiyev underlined that the think tank platform is suitable for discussing any issues, including problematic ones: “Our purpose is to discuss the new geopolitical situation established after the Second Karabakh War, new prospects for cooperation in the region that include transport and other projects. After the war, “3 + 3” regional cooperation platform was proposed by the presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey. It is unlikely that the six countries will come together in the near future. Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have not been normalized and the Azerbaijani side's proposals on the post-conflict period have not been accepted yet. At the current stage, holding trilateral discussions serves the purpose of expanding the platform.” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, Director of the Institute for International and Political Studies Mohammad Kazem Sajjadpour congratulated on the liberation of Azerbaijani lands and noted that the new reality is not only national but also a regional issue. According to the Iranian representative, Iran has good bilateral relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey. M. K Sajjadpour added that the main goal now is to explore ways to effectively turn bilateral relations into trilateral. The Iranian representative also stressed the role of think tanks in exploring new opportunities in relations between the two countries. Haqqı Uyqur, director of the Turkish Center for Iranian Studies (IRAM), pointed out that Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey have common values in terms of history, culture and identity. He said that all three countries in the region face common threats and challenges over time. According to him, such meetings provide a good opportunity to analyze political processes in the region. Haqqı Uyqur noted that the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and Afghanistan will also be discussed at the meeting. He also mentioned that an exchange of views on joint trade issues and preparation of report is planned. 

Then the event continued behind closed doors. 

Tomorrow, both delegations will visit Agdam.