MNA � Iranian President�s Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi held a phone conversation with Azerbaijan's Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev on Monday night on the expansion of bilateral cooperation.

Referring to the need to cooperate to expand relations between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan in various sectors, Vaezi said that the development of relations with neighbors is one of the basic principles of Iran's foreign policy.

Tehran is ready to develop, strengthen and consolidate comprehensive relations and cooperation with Baku, he added.

Expressing regret and sympathy over the death of several soldiers in the conflict on the border between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia, he said that preserving the territorial integrity of countries, including the Azerbaijan Republic, has been and will be the regional strategy of Iran.

Iran has always insisted on resolving issues and disputes through political solutions and negotiations, Vaezi noted, adding we hope that the problem will be resolved without resorting to force.

For his part, Shahin Mustafayev appreciated the sympathy of the Iranian government and people over the incident, saying that Iran's position on maintaining the territorial integrity of countries, including the Azerbaijan Republic, has always been respectable.

He also praised Iran's commitment to the development of relations and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, stressing the need for more efforts by the two countries' officials in this regard.

Referring to the resuming of trade between the two countries, the two sides expressed satisfaction with the efforts of officials to reopen the borders with a 14% increase in trade between the two countries in recent months.