After years of rising tensions, the July visit to Baku by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has signaled increased diplomacy between Azerbaijan and Iran. The apparent new détente brings positives for both sides.

For Iran, reconciliation with its northwestern neighbor will allow it to play a bigger role in the South Caucasus. Meanwhile, with improved relations with Tehran, Baku can focus its resources and attention elsewhere. Such efforts have also reduced the chances of a regional crisis breaking out, even as the flareup of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh may add complexities.

Pursuit of rapprochement

Amir-Abdollahian on July 5 visited Baku to attend a ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement. In a sign of a thaw in bilateral ties, the Iranian chief diplomat notably met Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the summit. The meeting marked a surprise breakthrough between the ...