Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has placed a premium on improving bilateral cooperation with Azerbaijan, saying the Islamic Republic’s principled policy is to pursue the development and strengthening of relations with its neighbors.

According to The Iran Project, Pezeshkian made the remarks during a meeting with Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev in the capital Tehran on Tuesday.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran holds a principled policy of developing relations and interactions with neighboring and Muslim countries, and in this regard, relations with Azerbaijan are of particular importance to us."

"We seek to expand relations in all fields between the two countries," Pezeshkian said.

He went on to say that continuing and strengthening the level of cooperation will turn Iran and Azerbaijan into strategic partners. The president cited the agreements reached and joint projects currently underway between the two countries in the trade, energy, and transportation sectors.

Mustafayev, for his part, said, "Over the past decades, the Republic of Azerbaijan has spared no effort to expand relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran."

"Moreover, the important changes that we have witnessed during this short period of your presidency promise a bright future in the relations between the two countries and the situation in our region," he added.

Mustafayev further appreciated the influential role of Iran in “establishing peace and stability in the region," saying Baku believes that “solving the problems of our region will be possible only by the countries of this region."