His Majesty King Abdullah and Her Majesty Queen Rania received the visiting Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva on Monday at the start of their two-day visit to the Kingdom.

At the meeting, King Abdullah and President Aliyev said it was necessary for officials from both countries to take practical steps to boost cooperation, especially in the fields of economy, industry, investments and trade exchange.

The two leaders highlighted the growth in bilateral trade volume, stressing that opportunity for increased cooperation in this field.

Jordan's exports to Azerbaijan rose from JD480,000 in 2007 to about JD1.5 million by the end of August. The country's imports from Azerbaijan reached about JD52 million in 2007 and 2008.

The two leaders also discussed the possibility of benefiting from investment opportunities in Azerbaijan in the medical, educational, IT, engineering and construction sectors, while the King highlighted investment opportunities in Jordan.

Discussions also covered developments in the Middle East. King Abdullah reviewed efforts to realise a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict within a regional context that is based on relevant terms of reference, especially the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.

King Abdullah underlined Jordan's opposition to any attempts to threaten the Islamic and Christian sites in the holy city and alter the identity of Jerusalem.

The two leaders underlined the need to intensify efforts to launch serious and effective peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis.

The two leaders also discussed issues of concern to the Muslim world, underling the need to work together to activate collective action among Muslim countries.

In this regard, the Azerbaijani president referred to Baku's selection as the capital of Islamic culture for the year 2009.

King Abdullah and President Aliyev also urged the activation of cultural cooperation and exchanges of visits between the two countries.

Following the meeting, Minister of Industry and Trade Amer Hadidi said discussions covered the possibility of an Azerbaijani public investment company taking part in investments in Jordan.

King Abdullah had earlier visited Azerbaijan in May, 2008, for talks with Aliyev on bilateral cooperation, especially in the economic and trade fields.

The two sides also signed a number of cooperation agreements in various fields during that visit. In honour of the Azerbaijani leader and his spouse, Their Majesties held a dinner banquet Monday.