TEHRAN -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on Tuesday stressed the need to expand bilateral relations between the two neighbors.

Aliyev, heading a high ranking delegation, arrived in Tehran on Tuesday to attend Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit.
During a meeting between the countries’ high-ranking officials, both presidents called Tehran-Baku relations important and strategic, saying their countries play an important role in stabilizing the region.
Ahmadinejad and Aliyev said that they are going to expand cooperation in economic, security, political, cultural, and industrial areas.
Energy, transit, and bank cooperation will help the two states achieve the desired goals, the two presidents underscored.
The presidents hoped that the ECO summit which opens today would yield positive results that benefit the regional nations.
They also said that Western countries are seeking to transfer their problems to Iran and Azerbaijan, insisting that Tehran and Baku should avoid such problems through close cooperation.
Ahmadinejad said that Azerbaijan’s development will benefit the whole region. He added that Iran is ready to share its experiences with Azerbaijan in all areas.
Aliyev also said Iran-Azerbaijan ties can serve as a model for other regional countries