TEHRAN - Ali Alizadeh, the Azerbaijani ambassador to Iran, said on Sunday that his country is always after developing cooperation with Iran.

Baku has good economic and political ties with Tehran, Alizadeh said in a meeting with Mahmoud Shalouei, the assistant to the Iranian culture minister, state news agency IRNA reported. 

Referring to the upcoming visit of the Azeri culture minister to Iran, the ambassador hoped that cultural relations would widen during the visit.

Shalouei, too, expressed hope that Iran-Azerbaijan cultural cooperation 
would strengthen.

The Azeri minister of culture will visit Iran on Monday (June 20).

Relations between Iran and Azerbaijan have been developing over the past few years, with the two countries exchanging visits. 

Last month, Iranian President Ayatollah Seyed Ebrahim Raisi sent a message to his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev to congratulate him on the anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan. 

In the message, Raisi emphasized Iran’s foreign policy priority in promoting relations with neighbors, including the brotherly country of Azerbaijan.

President Raisi stated that the common history and religion and the deep ties between the two nations of Iran and Azerbaijan have provided a solid foundation and valuable support for the relations between the two countries in the new era. Since the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Iran has always worked within the framework of mutual interests to deepen relations between the two countries in all fields.

He also expressed satisfaction with the fact that after the lifting of the occupation of the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the fields of cooperation between the two countries have expanded, and expressed hope that these capacities will be exploited by the efforts of both parties.

Also last month, President Raisi met with Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev in Tehran. 

In the meeting, Raisi said that the Islamic Republic welcomes the promotion of economic, political, cultural and trade cooperation with Azerbaijan, adding, "Full implementation of the Tehran-Baku agreements in various fields,… requires practical steps by Azerbaijan."

The president said, "Apart from being neighbors, Iran and Azerbaijan share the same culture and have kinship relations. No factor should be allowed to undermine the close relations between the two countries."

Raisi also said the United States and the Zionist regime do not care about well-being of the countries in the region and the wider world, adding, "The existence of constructive relations based on mutual interests between neighboring countries, especially Iran and Azerbaijan, is the most effective factor in maintaining and strengthening regional security."

Referring to the meeting between the presidents of Iran and Azerbaijan in Turkmenistan, the Azeri deputy prime minister said, "Your meeting with Mr. Aliyev in Ashgabat is historic and has opened new pages in the history of relations between the two countries."