MOSCOW, August 29./ITAR-TASS/. Settlement of regional crises is impossible without Iran’s participation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday, opening talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.

“We support your participation in the processes”, Lavrov said.

“We value our relations, in the basis of which are many years of friendship and good neighbor ties,” Lavrov said. “The relations have passed the test of time. Our cooperation is not influenced by changing considerations of the moment, and it is of a long-term character.”

The Russian minister also noted the intensive political dialogue on the top level between Russia and Iran.

“Our partnership is based, aside from history, on the closeness of positions on most of regional and international issues. Cooperation plays a weighty role in stabilization of the situation in the Middle East and Central Asia.”

Lavrov said the sides would discuss the progress in efforts on the Iranian nuclear program and bilateral relations, taking into consideration the objectives set by the presidents to develop trade and economic cooperation in all areas.

Russia and Iran may soon recover and even exceed the mutual trade volume that existed before the West imposed sanctions on Russia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

He said after talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, “We think it is really possible in the near future to attain and considerably exceed the mutual trade volume that we had before the sanctions,” Lavrov said.

Moscow favours Iran’s direct participation in the Syrian settlement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

“We have exchanged views on the situation in Syria and around it. There is no alternative to the soonest end of violence. There is a good basis for it - the Geneva communique.”

“We favour Iran’s participation in all the further steps on the way to settlement. It meets peace and stability when there is threat of terrorism spread. It refers also to the situation in Iraq,” Lavrov said.

Russia favours such a decision that would be based on respect for Iran’s right for peaceful nuclear activities, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.

“We discussed the situation around the Iranian nuclear programme. Russia consistently advocates such a decision that would be based on respect for Iran’s right for peaceful nuclear activities, including the right for uranium enrichment, with all the peaceful activities placed under IAEA control, and removal of all the questions, which still remain, in the course of talks between Iran and the IAEA.”

“We hope the continuing talks in the ‘six plus one’ format will help achieve such a decision,” Lavrov said.