Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his Iranian counterpart for an hour on Thursday in Kyrgyzstan, the first meeting between the two leaders since they assumed office earlier this year.

While meeting President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital, Xi said there has been momentum in the development of ties between China and Iran in recent years.

Trust has deepened while cooperation has strengthened, Xi said, adding Beijing and Teheran have been in contact on major international and regional issues.

Rohani said relations between Iran and China are "very important".

The relationship is not only relevant to the two nations but also "bears vital significance for Asia and the sensitive situation in the Middle East".

He said Iran is willing to further cooperation with China in various fields.

The leaders were expected to discuss the Iran nuclear issue during their meeting.

Rouhani said on Tuesday that his meetings with Xi and Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Bishkek were of "special importance".

Rohani, quoted by the IRNA news agency, also said his country is ready to strike a deal with world powers over its nuclear program.

Iran insists its nuclear program is for civilian use, while some Western countries accuse it of secretly developing nuclear weapons.

Rohani said Iran is "ready for the win-win game," and suggested fresh talks could take place when he travels to New York later this month to address the UN General Assembly.

The last round of talks with the big powers?- the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany - was held in April in Kazakhstan, before Rohani's election. All parties have said they want them to continue soon.

The SCO is an intergovernmental organization that was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Iran, along with Afghanistan, India, Mongolia, and Pakistan, has observer status.

The SCO summit brings together heads of member and observer states and will kick off on Friday.