Putin holds talks with Iranian, Azerbaijani counterparts

MOSCOW - 1 November 2017: Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks Wednesday with Iranian and Azerbaijani presidents Hassan Rouhani and Ilham Aliyev on trilateral talks in the Iranian capital, Sputnik news agency reported.

Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan want to deepen high-level cooperation on global energy market platforms and expand cooperation in the oil and gas sector, a joint statement signed by the countries' presidents in Tehran on Wednesday said.

"The parties point out the key role of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Islamic Republic of Iran in the sustained functioning of regional and global energy markets, support the expansion of cooperation in the oil and gas as well as petrochemical sectors, including in the area of exploration and development of oil and gas fields, transport and swap deliveries of crude oil and petroleum products, as well as deepening cooperation on the international platforms," the statement said.

The parties also supported the projects on connecting the electric grids of the three states as well as agreements on electric power trade.

"We discussed different issues in the sector of stability, fighting crime and terrorism. But the issues of economic nature are at the forefront, of course," Putin said.