Iran, Azerbaijan to expand coop. in pharmaceuticals - MEHRNA

Iran's deputy minister of health and his Azeri counterpart held talks on a project for producing pharmaceuticals in Azerbaijan, at a meeting in Baku on March 10.

At a meeting with Iranian deputy minister of Health and Medical Education, Rasoul Dinarvand, in Baku, Azerbaijan's Deputy Minister of Health Elsever Agayev said the two sides have held negotiations over a joint project for producing pharmaceuticals in Azerbaijan, saying "Baku has always maintained the interest in cooperating with Tehran in various areas, particularly in the health sector."

Dinarvand, for his part, said that his visit to Baku takes place in line with a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in health sector signed between the two coutnries during Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's visit to Iran in February.

Iranian Ambassador to Baku Mohsen Pak Ayeen who had also attended the meeting, said in a press conference in Baku that Iran and Azerbaijan have signed an MoU to establish a pharmaceutical factory in Azerbaijan's Sumgait City.

Media reports have suggested that Daroupakhsh, an Iranian pharmaceutical company, is likely to participate in the project.

According to Dinarvand, the factory is expected to produce dozens of essential drugs to be used for treatment of heart diseases, contagious diseases, non-communicable diseases as well as various types of antibiotics and painkillers.

On Feb. 23, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, heading a high-ranking delegation, paid an official visit to Iran at the invitation of President Hassan Rouhani. The visit resulted in the signing of 10 MoUs covering various areas of cooperation between Tehran and Baku.

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