At the meeting, Khalafov expressed hope that the grounds for expansion of mutual cooperation between Iran and Azerbaijan in various arenas will be prepared by the two sides' top political and economic officials.

Hamidi, on his part, referred to the religious, cultural and historical commonalties between the two countries and the current bilateral exchanges in different economic and political fields, stressed the need for serious efforts to develop bilateral cooperation.

He also expressed hope that the two countries can improve mutual ties in line with the guidelines of their senior officials.

The two sides also discussed major regional and international issues. IRNA