Jordan's King Abdullah II will pay an official visit to Iran late February, Iranian Ambassador to Jordan, Nosratollah Tajik, was quoted by Iran News Agency (IRNA) as saying Thursday.
The visit would be the first by the king since he ascended to the throne following the death of his father, King Hussein, in February 1999, said IRNA.
In October, King Abdullah received an official invitation from President Mohammed Khatami to visit Iran, a month after the two leaders met for the first time in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations Millennium Summit, reported AFP.
That meeting was widely seen as the latest indication of the warming of ties between the two countries which renewed diplomatic relations in 1991 after nearly a decade.
Tajik, meanwhile, said that the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mehdi Karubi, is due in Amman on Sunday at the head of a large delegation at the invitation of his Jordanian counterpart, Abdel-Hadi Majali, IRNA added.
Tajik told the agency that the trip aims to strengthen bilateral relations, and
expansion of cooperation in various fields, said IRNA.
The ambassador said Iran is ready to carry out the construction of an
irrigation pipeline extending from 320 km south of Amman to Maan in the south.
He stated that the cost of the proposed project is estimated at
690 million dollars, and slated to be completed in three to five years, IRNA added.
Ties were severed after the Islamic revolution amid Iranian complaints that the late King Hussein was close to the deposed Shah of Iran.
Amman was also accused of supporting Baghdad during the Iran-Iraq war of 1980 to 1988.
Over the past two years, however, Amman and Tehran moved closer together.
In July Queen Rania visited Iran at the invitation of Khatami's wife for talks with Iranian women leaders on issues concerning child development and women's rights.
Iran has organized several trade fairs in Amman, and high ranking officials have exchanged visits -- Albawaba.com
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