Mr. Kharrazi, under fire from the Iranian Majles (parliament) for the "weak performances" of the Iranian diplomacy concerning the safeguarding of Iranian interests in the Caspian Sea, was received at Bakoo airport by his Azeri counterpart Vilayat Guliyev.

They confirmed that the sharing of the Caspian waters, believed to contain large amount of oil and gas reserves, was the topic of Mr. Kharrazi’s talks with Azeri leaders, including Guliyev and Prime Minister Artur Rasizadeh.

Of the five littoral states, the Islamic Iran is the only nation to insist on an equal sharing of the Sea’s waters, while the four others, namely Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan have already drew their lines, both on the surface as well as the Sea’s bed.

Iranian sources said Tehran still believes the agreements of 1921 and 1940 between the collapsed Soviet Union and Imperial Iran are still valid until a new legal regime of the Caspian Sea is drawn up.

The Azeri Foreign Minister hailed the visit as "timely and necessary" and expressed optimism that talks would bear "positive" fruits, which could lead to the settlement of differences and promotion of bilateral ties, the official Iranian news Agency IRNA reported from the Azeri Capital.

The visit came days before the forthcoming Summit of Caspian Sea leaders, scheduled for the end of the present month In Turkmenistan.

A sharing of the waters on equal basis gives Iran 20 per cent of the waters and a substantial quantity of oil, now explored by Azerbaijan, but if divided according to international agreements, Iran’s stake would fall to some 13 per cent only, giving Azerbaijan 20 per cent, including the disputed Alborz zone.

Guliyev said Iran was key to the establishment of security in the region and the resolution of the Caspian Sea legal status as well as disputes between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, annexed by Armenia.

Kharrazi said close historical, religious, cultural and ethnic commonalties have provided the two country with a "massive asset" to promote their bilateral ties.

Like in Iran, Shi’a Muslims form the majority in Azerbaijan, but contrary to the Islamic Republic, they have the same rights as all other religious minorities.

Meeting later the Azeri Prime Minister Artur Rasizadeh, Mr. Kharrazi said that only consensus and mutual respect will lead to an agreement among the five Caspian States on respective issues, adding that provocation and suspicion should be avoided to help reach understanding and consensus to approve the legal regime of the Caspian Sea.