MOSCOW, January 11. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi have spoken by phone and praised the coordination of efforts within the Astana process for a settlement in Syria, the Kremlin said in a statement.

"When discussing international issues, both sides have positively assessed the tight coordination that has been achieved within the Astana process, which plays a key role in the Syrian settlement," the statement said.

Putin and Raisi expressed their commitment to continue engagement with the purpose of normalizing the situation in Syria and restoring its territorial integrity, the Kremlin said.

In addition, the presidents agreed on holding some high-level bilateral talks.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said on January 9 that Raisi planned to visit Turkey and Syria, without providing any dates.

Russia, Iran and Turkey make up the so-called Astana troika of countries that guarantee a peaceful settlement in Syria. On November 23, the latest meeting in the Astana format was held, following which the sides again stressed that the conflict in Syria has no military solution, supported the territorial integrity of the republic and rejected "all attempts to create new realities on the ground" and also condemned the renewed activity of terrorist groups. The next meeting in the Astana format, which will be the 20th such meeting, is set to take place in the Kazakh capital in the first half of 2023.