Tehran, Aug 26 (IANS): Iran Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov have called for greater dynamism in bilateral relations and expansion of cooperation.

The Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan on Sunday held a telephone conversation with the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, congratulating him on his appointment as the top Iranian diplomat and wishing him success. They also discussed bilateral ties, development in the Caucasus region as well as some other international issues of common interest, Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Jeyhun Bayramov referred to his country's desire to develop friendly relations with Iran based on good neighbourliness, voicing hope that cooperation between Tehran and Baku would further expand during the new period.

Araghchi also thanked his Azerbaijani counterpart, stating that the development of friendly relations with Azerbaijan, based on mutual interests, is among the priorities of the foreign policy of the of Iran. Araghchi underlined the need to tap into the existing capacities to that end.

The two sides also highlighted the necessity to continue the exchange of high-ranking delegations, consultations between the two foreign ministries, and cooperation between the Iranian and Azerbaijani missions in international and regional organisations.

Iran and Azerbaijan share, to a large extent, the same history, religion, and culture. The territory of what is now called the Republic of Azerbaijan was separated from Iran in the first half of the 19th century through the Russo-Persian Wars.