Iranian president visits Azerbaijan as ties warm

BAKU, Apr 28 (AFP): Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian Monday met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, on a rare visit to Baku, marking the latest sign of a thaw in relations between the neighbouring countries.

Tensions between the two have run high for years, largely due to Baku's close ties with Iran's arch-enemy Israel and a January 2023 attack on Azerbaijan's embassy in Tehran.

Last week, Pezeshkian expressed hopes for a "rapid and serious improvement" in relations and cooperation between the two countries as part of a broader effort to "mend ties".

In a recent sign of rapprochement, Iran and Azerbaijan held two-day joint naval exercises in the Caspian Sea in November, according to Iranian media.