MOSCOW, May 4. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin and his Turkish counterpart Burak Akcapar held talks to discuss Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The talks took place in Istanbul on May 3.

"A lot of attention was paid to the current situation around Ukraine, in the Black Sea area and the need to urgently stop the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip and reach a lasting solution for the conflict on a two-state basis," the ministry said in a statement.

An in-depth discussion was given to general issues of the UN operations with a focus on the work of its key bodies - the Security Council and the General Assembly - including the goals of reform and preparations for the forthcoming Summit of the Future. In addition, the officials exchanged views on such pressing regional issues as the Israeli-Palestinian and Cyprus settlements, the situation in Syria and Libya with a focus on the fulfillment of the mandates of the relevant UN structures, according to the ministry.

"A number of bilateral subjects were also considered. Both sides reaffirmed their determination to continue and develop fruitful cooperation," the ministry said.