TEHRAN -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on Sunday inaugurated a dam built jointly by the two neighboring Muslim states on the Aras River at their common border.
The Qiz Qalasi dam, which represents the largest joint water project between Iran and Azerbaijan, was put into operation at a ceremony attended by the presidents.
The embankment dam is located in the Khoda Afarin region in Iran’s northwestern province of East Azarbaijan.
The project, with a capacity of 62 million cubic meters, will reportedly supply water to the irrigation and drainage networks of Khoda Afarin county.
Known as the biggest water project in Iran’s northwestern border areas, the Qiz Qalasi dam is estimated to regulate 2 billion cubic meters of water every year.
A hydroelectric power station coupled with the dam is projected to generate 270 megawatt hours of electricity per annum.
Iranian Minister of Energy Ali Akbar Mehrabian described the Qiz Qalasi dam as a symbol of friendship between the people of Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The dam has been constructed according to the latest and most
 modern engineering standards, he added.
Addressing the inauguration, President Raisi says relations with Azerbaijan go beyond mere neighborhood. 
“As Leader of the Islamic Revolution [Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei] said our relationship with the friendly, brotherly and neighboring country of Azerbaijan goes beyond neighborliness. Our relationship is a strong kinship bond that has roots in the beliefs of the two nations … and connects our history and civilization,” he said.
“This heartfelt relationship between the two countries and the two nations is unbreakable.”
Raisi said Tehran-Baku ties should expand to regional and international cooperation. He said the enemies do not want to see progress in Azerbaijan and the Islamic Republic.
“Some may not be happy with the bond between Iran and Azerbaijan, but what is important to us is the interests of the two nations and the two countries.
“Iran believes that any progress in Azerbaijan is its own progress and that any insecurity along the common border will damage both states,” the president said. 
Aliyev, for his part, said that the meeting between the Iranian and Azeri presidents has a message for the region and the world.
No one can create misunderstanding and division between the two countries, he emphasized, describing developing bilateral relations as positive.
Azerbaijan’s ties with Iran were strained in January last year following an attack on the country’s embassy in Tehran, which prompted Baku to close it and evacuate staff over what it called a “terrorist act.”
An initial Iranian investigation found that the attack was motivated by “personal and family-related problems.”