BAKU -- Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Seyyid Abbas Eraqchi has arrived in Baku for talks with Azerbaijani officials on bilateral ties.
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev told RFE/RL that Eraqchi, Iran's deputy foreign minister for relations with Asian and Pacific countries, would meet with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov.
The Azerbaijani spokesman said the talks could include the question of two Azerbaijani poets who are detained in Iran on charges of espionage.
The poets were arrested in May after they entered Iran to take part in cultural activities.
Tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan have escalated recently over issues including Azerbaijani accusations that Iran plotted terrorist attacks in Baku.
Ties have also been strained over reported closer ties between Azerbaijan and Iranian rival Israel.
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev told RFE/RL that Eraqchi, Iran's deputy foreign minister for relations with Asian and Pacific countries, would meet with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov.
The Azerbaijani spokesman said the talks could include the question of two Azerbaijani poets who are detained in Iran on charges of espionage.
The poets were arrested in May after they entered Iran to take part in cultural activities.
Tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan have escalated recently over issues including Azerbaijani accusations that Iran plotted terrorist attacks in Baku.
Ties have also been strained over reported closer ties between Azerbaijan and Iranian rival Israel.
