The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) has officially launched its Azeri-language website in a ceremony in Shusha, in Azerbaijan.

Addressing the ceremony to launch the Azeri website on Saturday, IRNA's Managing Director Ali Naderi said that the Azeri website has been launched to provide first-hand access to Iranian news for the Azeri audiences and to create empathy and closeness between the people of the two friendly and brotherly countries. 

Naderi said the launch of the website under the address of az.irna.ir is also aimed at familiarizing the Azerbaijani people with the Iranian culture and to counter the interference of the common enemies of the two countries and to fight against fake news that are being spread against Iran in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev expressed hope in an interview with the IRNA on Friday that launching IRNA's Azeri-language website could help strengthen Iran-Azerbaijan relations.