Iran willing to expand ties with Azerbaijan

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi described Tehran-Baku relations as good, and expressed the Islamic Republic's enthusiasm for the further expansion and deepening of the relations with the Republic of Azerbaijan.According to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry's Information and Press Bureau, Salehi made the remarks during a meeting with Azerbaijan's deputy foreign minister on the sidelines of a trilateral economic meeting among Iran, Turkey and Azerbaijan in Tehran on Monday night. At the meeting, Salehi noted the two countries' interests and commonalities, and described their relations as good, saying Tehran is resolved to further deepen and expand its relations with Baku. He further noted the trilateral meeting and said it provides an opportunity for the deepening of friendship among nations. The Azeri deputy foreign minister gave Salehi his president's and Azeri foreign minister's best and warmest regards, and underlined that expansion and development of relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran is "a principled aspiration of Azerbaijan's Republic". He further expressed the hope that Iran-Azerbaijan relations would further serve the two nations' interests.