Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the situation in the Middle East as the most urgent issue facing the region during talks with his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian.
According to Russia’s TASS news agency, Putin said Moscow was aware of Iran’s genuine efforts to bring an end to the conflict.
The two leaders met on Thursday evening on the sidelines of a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States and a Caspian Sea environmental summit in the Awaza resort area of Turkmenistan.
During the meeting, Mr Putin also highlighted growing trade ties between Moscow and Tehran, saying bilateral trade had increased by more than 21% by the end of last year.
He added that the upward trend had continued during the first seven months of this year.
