AZE.US
Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan have reached agreements on implementing several joint economic projects following talks among their presidents in Turkmenistan, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.
Araghchi disclosed the outcome in an interview with Iranian state television, according to APA’s Tehran bureau.
He said the meeting among Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was organized at Russia’s initiative. The leaders discussed several projects involving the three countries and agreed on their implementation.
Araghchi described the initiatives as economic cooperation projects but did not identify them, disclose their projected cost or provide an implementation schedule. He also did not say whether any formal documents were signed.
North-South Corridor Remains Central
Official statements before Araghchi’s remarks confirmed that the three leaders discussed regional cooperation, including the International North-South Transport Corridor. The route is intended to connect Russia with Iran and Persian Gulf ports through Azerbaijan, strengthening Azerbaijan’s role as a transit link between northern Eurasia and the Middle East.
The Kremlin also said the leaders discussed cooperation in several sectors, including energy. Those initial statements did not announce concrete decisions, making Araghchi’s comments the first public indication that implementation agreements had been reached.
However, it is too early to conclude that every project mentioned by the Iranian foreign minister is part of the North-South Corridor. Neither Tehran nor Moscow has released a complete project list.
Summit Talks in Turkmenistan
The trilateral meeting took place on the sidelines of gatherings in the Caspian resort of Avaza, Turkmenistan. Pezeshkian attended the Commonwealth of Independent States summit as an observer and also joined a separate meeting of Caspian leaders.
The Associated Press reported that Putin used the CIS summit to call for deeper economic ties among regional states. He said Russia’s trade with CIS members exceeded $110 billion in 2025 and that 90% of transactions were conducted in national currencies.
For Azerbaijan, the next decisive step will be publication of a road map, intergovernmental documents or specific investment decisions showing which projects will proceed, how they will be financed and when construction or implementation will begin.
Source: Vesti Baku; APA; The Associated Press.