TEHRAN- The foreign ministers of Iran and Russia have agreed to maintain strong cooperation on regional and global issues, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, discussing the dates for next summit and high-level meetings. Russian news agency Tass cited the Iranian foreign ministry as stating in a statement on Saturday that Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov discussed pressing issues in bilateral cooperation following the agreements made in the talks between the two foreign ministers in Moscow on August 31.The statement said, "The ministers coordinated their calendars for upcoming summit and high-level meetings."Following level talks on Wednesday, Amir Abdollahian and Lavrov held a joint press conference in Moscow to discuss a number of topics, including the ongoing efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and the issue of Ukraine.Amir Abdollahian went on to say that Tehran wants stronger text and stronger guarantees to conclude the Vienna talks that have been underway since April of last year in an effort to resurrect the agreement and lift economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic.He said that if the U.S.

behaves realistically and the current text is strengthened, a deal would not be out of reach because Iran is serious about reaching a long-lasting accord.Amir Abdollahian emphasized that Tehran’s goal is to reach a solid, long-lasting agreement while asking the other side to be realistic and pragmatist.The Iranian foreign minister also stated to have spoken to the Russian side about the Ukraine crisis on behalf of one of the European leaders.The Iranian top diplomat highlighted that some suggestions for resolving the Ukraine War have been made. There was a discussion about humanitarian problems with the Russian foreign minister as well, he said. On February 24, Russia started a special military operation in Ukraine.

Russia says the operation is intended to demilitarize the Donetsk and Lugansk republics in eastern Ukraine, generally known as the Donbas region, in accordance with what Russian President Vladimir Putin has outlined.After declining to recognize a Western-backed Ukrainian government, pro-Russian republics seceded from Ukraine in 2014.Iran has frequently said that it is willing to serve as an honest mediator in any negotiations meant to put an end to the war.