DUBAI, December 27. /TASS/. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian talked by phone with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to discuss pressing bilateral issues and the situation in the South Caucasus.

According to the Islamic Republic’s foreign ministry, the top diplomats discussed "latest events in the South Caucasus, the current state of affairs in cooperation and bilateral relations and certain regional and international issues."

According to the foreign ministry’s statement, Abdollahian "welcomed the negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan to achieve a lasting peace agreement and reaffirmed the Islamic Republic of Iran’s support to peace and stability in the region."

The ministry also said that Lavrov had reaffirmed Russia’s recognition of the Islamic Republic’s territorial integrity.

"Russia respects the territorial integrity of Iran sincerely, honestly and without reservations. This is Moscow’s steadfast stance," the statement quoted Lavrov as saying.

The Islamic republic's Foreign Ministry summoned Russia's charge d'affaires on December 24 due to the fact that the final statement adopted at the sixth session of the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum (RACF) in Marrakesh had mentioned the issue of ownership of three islands in the Persian Gulf, which have long been the subject of a dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates. The Russian and Arab foreign ministers emphasized "support for all peaceful efforts, including the initiative and endeavors of the United Arab Emirates to find a peaceful solution to the dispute over the three islands - Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa - based on international law and the UN Charter."

On July 12, the Iranian Foreign Ministry delivered the same protest to Russian Ambassador to Tehran Alexey Dedov. Shortly before that, a ministerial meeting was held in Moscow as part of a strategic dialogue between Russia and the Gulf Cooperation Council. The resulting statement said the ministers "reiterated their support for all peaceful efforts, including the initiative and endeavors of the United Arab Emirates to reach a peaceful solution to the dispute over the three islands - Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa - through bilateral negotiations or the International Court of Justice.".