Iranian FM drew attention of Azerbaijani Ambassador Tehran`s to  dissatisfaction over detention of two Iranian drivers

ArmInfo. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian during a meeting with new ambassador of Azerbaijan to Iran Ali Alizadeh, on the occasion of presenting a copy of his credentials, once again stressed the inadmissibility of the Zionist regime's  presence at its borders.

Thus, according to IRNA, in the context of the movement of the  Zionist regime along the country's borders, the Iranian Foreign Minister said: The Islamic Republic of Iran does not tolerate the presence and activities of the Zionist regime against its national security and will take any necessary action in this regard".

The Iranian minister wished success to the Azerbaijani ambassador  during his mission in Tehran and stressed the importance of bilateral  relations within the framework of good neighborliness.  

At the same time, the head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry expressed  dissatisfaction with the detention of two Iranian drivers on the  "territory of Azerbaijan" (section of the Goris-Kapan road of the  Syunik region of the Republic of Armenia, Ed. note) and called the  recent negative statements of the Republic of Azerbaijan surprising  and regrettable.  

He reiterated that countries have the right to hold military  exercises inside their territories to defend their national  sovereignty. 

 Ali Alizadeh, in turn, stressed the importance of bilateral  relations between Azerbaijan and Iran, and expressed hope for an  early resolution of the current situation.  Earlier, Iranian Army's  Ground Forces Commander General Kioumars Heydari said that the ground  forces of the Iranian Armed Forces will begin exercises on October 1  in the north-western region of the country (the provinces of Ardabil,  East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan and Zanjan). According to him,  howitzers, drones, helicopters and armored vehicles of the Iranian  Armed Forces will be used in the exercises.  

To note, yesterday a meeting of Minister of Foreign Affairs of  Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan with Ambassador of Iran to Armenia Abbas  Badakhshan Zohouri took place in Yerevan. During the meeting, the  interlocutors expressed satisfaction with the effective interaction  established between Armenia and Iran at bilateral and multilateral  platforms, stressing that the new governments formed in the two  countries will give an additional powerful impetus to the  Armenian-Iranian relations. 

Mirzoyan and Zohouri pointed out the importance of expanding  cooperation in the trade and economic sphere through the  implementation of specific programs agreed between the parties, which  will increase the trade turnover to $ 1 billion.  

In terms of the Armenian-Iranian energy cooperation, they discussed  the prospects for expanding the framework of the "gas in exchange for  electricity" program. Mirzoyan and Zohouri also touched upon issues  of regional security and stability. The Foreign Minister stressed  that the provocative actions and intentions of Azerbaijan towards the  sovereign territory of Armenia undermine the efforts aimed at peace  and development in the region.

The Armenian side noted that it highly appreciates the position of  Iran on the issue of the territorial integrity of Armenia. The  interlocutors also discussed the situation on the Goris-Kapan road.   Mirzoyan informed about the progress of the construction of the  alternative road, as well as about the work on the North-South  highway.