Azerbaijan, Iran agree to mend ties ‘through dialogue’

Azerbaijan says it has agreed with Iran to resolve a diplomatic crisis through dialogue weeks after ties soured over allegations Israel’s military was active in Azerbaijan.

Iran last month protested against what it said was the presence of its sworn enemy Israel in Azerbaijan and vowed to take any necessary action.

It staged military exercises near its border with Azerbaijan, sparking criticism from officials in Baku, which has denied Iranian claims.

Azerbaijan says its Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov had spoken by phone with Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and the pair had agreed to resolve differences through dialogue.

“The sides noted that recent rhetoric has harmed bilateral relations and that any differences should be settled through dialogue,” Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry says in a statement.

Israel is a major arms supplier to Azerbaijan, which late last year won a six-week war with neighbor Armenia for control over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.