TEHRAN (ISNA)- Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan would visit Azerbaijan on Monday to discuss issues of mutual interests as well as key regional and international developments with senior Azeri officials.

He plans to confer on boosting bilateral defense-military cooperation and mutual relations as well as regional and international issues.

Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov visited Iran last year.

In November, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev in a meeting in Baku underlined the need for the further expansion of bilateral ties in different areas.

During the meeting in the Azeri capital, the Iranian and Azeri presidents explored avenues for bolstering and reinvigorating mutual cooperation.

During the meeting, President Rouhani said that Iran and Azerbaijan enjoy abundant capacities for broadening mutual cooperation, and said, "The two sides have ample economic, cultural, political and international capacities which should be utilized."

Aliyev, for his part, pointed to Iran-Azerbaijan commonalities, and said, "The Azeri government pays special heed to closer relations between the two states and nations in different areas."

Tehran has in recent years focused seriously on developing ties with the neighboring countries, including the Republic of Azerbaijan which enjoys various commonalties with Iran in religious, historical and cultural fields.

By ISNA