Iranian Defense Minister, Major General Ahmad Vahidi will visit Azerbaijan next week at the invitation of his Azerbaijani counterpart, Colonel General Safar Abiyev, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reports.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced on October 1 that defense and regional security would be discussed during the visit, scheduled for October 11.

Iran's ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mohammad Bagir Bahrami, told the semi-official Fars news agency that the purpose of the visit "is to expand bilateral ties in the defense sphere."