MOSCOW, December 12. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin and Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali held a meeting and discussed preparations to sign a free trade zone agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and Iran, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"A thorough exchange of views was held in the context of preparations for the signing of a free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and Iran," the statement said.

The ministry also said the sides discussed "issues of Russian-Iranian cooperation within a number of leading global and regional economic associations, including BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization."

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy Mahdi Safari earlier said Iran and the EAEU will sign a free trade agreement in St. Petersburg on December 25. Russian President Vladimir Putin said during talks with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi that the agreement would create additional opportunities for expanding cooperation.