Iran and Azerbaijan held the first meeting of their joint defense commission with the aim of strengthening defense and military ties and cooperation, Fars News Agency (FNA) reported.

During the meeting held in Baku on Tuesday and headed by Iranian Deputy Defense Minister and Azeri Defense Minister Lieutenant General Zakir Hasanov, the two sides discussed ways to prepare a roadmap for the further expansion of military and defense cooperation.

They also underlined the necessity for respecting the regional states' territorial integrity and strengthening good neighborly ties among them.

In a relevant development in April, former Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan and General Hasanov in a meeting in Tehran underlined the need for broadening mutual cooperation in the defense sector.

During the meeting in the Iranian capital, the Iranian and Azeri Defense Ministers explored avenues for bolstering and reinvigorating bilateral ties in the military and defense fields.

During the meeting, General Dehqan pointed to the commonalities between Iran and Azerbaijan in cultural, religious, historical and ethnic fields as a unique phenomenon.

For his part, General Hasanov called for expanding defense-military ties with Iran, and said: “The recent talks between Iranian and Azeri presidents have paved the way for boosting cooperation.”