MOSCOW, March 15. /TASS/. Moscow highly appreciates Tehran's constructive position on what is happening in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday as he opened talks with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
"We will discuss with you further coordination of the Syrian settlement within the framework of the Astana format, as well as other crisis points in the Middle East and North Africa, and, of course, we will also talk about the Afghan settlement, which requires full attention," he said, "I want to note that we appreciate our trust-based dialogue and your objective position on what is happening in Ukraine."
The Russian foreign minister added that interaction on international affairs has always occupied a significant place in the relations between Moscow and Tehran.
Lavrov pointed out that despite all known factors, the trade turnover between Russia and Iran is growing "at a record pace, exceeding $4 billion." "I'm sure the prospects are even more impressive, given that the agreement to resume the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to resolve the situation around the Iranian nuclear program has reached the finish line," the minister said.
Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation. He stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories. After that, the US, the EU, the UK and a number of other states announced that they would impose sanctions against Russian legal entities and individuals.