Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says bilateral relations between Iran and Azerbaijan are founded on a deep-rooted and enduring friendship, citing the cultural, historical, and religious commonalities between the two nations.

Ahead of his upcoming trip to Baku, the capital of Iran’s northern neighbor, Pezeshkian made the remarks during a coordination meeting in Tehran on Wednesday, emphasizing, “The two countries are like members of a single body, and people living on both sides of the border share broad mutual interests, rooted in thousands of years of deep friendship and common affinity.”

While noting the deep-seated bonds linking the two nations since antiquity, the president also stressed that the two countries enjoy great potential for bilateral collaboration despite certain misunderstandings and challenges.

“The potential and capacity for interaction between the two countries and their peoples is vast, profound, and diverse. With the ongoing process of restoring ties, we will soon witness the blossoming of these capacities and a swift and meaningful enhancement in the level of relations and cooperation,” Pezeshkian said.

He also expressed hope that, given the recent consultations and the preparations in place, his upcoming visit would significantly facilitate and accelerate the process of deepening relations and expanding cooperation across governmental, private, and public sectors in the fields of economy, trade, culture, tourism, and politics.

Azerbaijan’s ties with Iran were strained in January 2023 following an attack on the country’s embassy in Tehran, which prompted Baku to close it and evacuate staff over what it called a “terrorist act.”

However, an Iranian investigation found that the attack was motivated by “personal and family-related problems.”

Back in May last year, the then Iranian president Ebrahim Raeisi and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev inaugurated the jointly-built Qiz Qalasi dam on the Aras River at the two countries’ common border.

The Qiz Qalasi dam, with a capacity of 62 million cubic meters, is the largest joint water project between Iran and Azerbaijan and is estimated to regulate two billion cubic meters of water annually, making it the biggest water project in Iran’s northwestern border areas.

A hydroelectric power station coupled with the dam is projected to generate 270 megawatt hours of electricity per annum.