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The meeting between the two leaders was held before the beginning of the trilateral summit between Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan.

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Beginning of meeting with President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Aliyev, it is a great pleasure to see you – in Tehran, this time.

We meet regularly and talk on the phone as well. We are always in touch, which is natural, because the relationship between our countries is special. It is certainly a strategic partnership.

Both you and I know about all the threads binding Azerbaijan and Russia together. And I must point out that our efforts to develop bilateral contacts have not been in vain – I am talking about the almost 62 percent increase in trade in the first nine months of the year.

We are working to develop other areas as well, and are constantly consulting each other on regional issues.

It is a great pleasure to see you in a bilateral setting.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev: Thank you, Mr President. I am also very glad to see you again.

We have already met several times this year, and our meetings always lead to good results, because we give a new impetus to the development of relations.

We are very pleased that trade is growing after certain complex processes. This shows that there is great mutual interest between businesses, and the growth of trade is also an indicator of the restoration of our economy, of mutual interest.

Our relations with Russia are of a strategic nature, and we characterise them as such. We cooperate in all areas, including cultural, economic, energy, transport, and defence industry cooperation. And so it is a full-fledged relationship between friends, neighbours and close partners.

I am also very glad that today's meeting is taking place on the sidelines of this trilateral summit. This is also a very important event on a global scale, I would say.

This is because this cooperation is based on deep historical roots and mutual interests, on the mutual support that our countries provide in the international arena.

So I am very glad to meet again and discuss important issues which I am sure will give a new impetus to strengthening our ties.

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