Iran and Russia, which take similar positions on regional and international issues, have stepped up diplomatic consultations, particularly on Syria.
In the most recent negotiations between Iran and Russia on Syria, Deputy Foreign Minister for Asian and Pacific Affairs Ebrahim Rahimpour met his Russian counterpart Igor Morgulov in Moscow on Tuesday, in which the two sides stressed the need for efforts to "democratically" defuse the crisis gripping the Arab country with the help of "domestic forces" without foreign intervention, IRNA reported.
In a separate meeting held on the same day, Rahimpour and Grigory Borisovich Karasin, another Russian deputy foreign minister, exchanged views on international challenges, including the current crisis in Ukraine.
They also reviewed bilateral relations as well as developments in Central Asia and the Caucasus.
The meetings came shortly after Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian and Mikhail Bogdanov, Russian president's special representative for the Middle East and deputy foreign minister, discussed the latest developments in the Middle East, especially the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, in a telephone conversation.
Stressing the importance of finding political solutions on Yemen and Syria based on international law and the UN Charter, the two sides reiterated that military approach not only cannot put an end to Middle East hostilities but will result in "hatred and spread of extremism."
Given the growth of terrorism in the region, active international and regional collaborations are deemed to be the most effective strategies to tackle the menace.
Tehran and Moscow believe efforts to fight terrorism will bear no fruit unless the Syrian people, administrative bodies and President Bashar al-Assad are given key roles in handling the political chaos.
***Human Tragedy
Condemning the Saudi-led military campaign against Yemen, the two diplomats expressed deep concern over an enormous "human tragedy" unfolding along the shores of the Gulf of Aden and urged the UN to increase humanitarian aid to the impoverished country.
When asked if Iran would discuss Syria with adversaries, President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday, "We will sit down at any table with countries inside and outside the region."
"The Syrian people are being killed and losing their homes ... our first priority is to stop the bloodshed, bring security and let people return to their homes, then we can talk about the future," he said.
Speaking at a news conference in Tehran with Austria's President Heinz Fischer, the first European Union leader to visit Iran in more than a decade, Rouhani called on the EU and Middle Eastern powers to find a solution to the Syria crisis.
"If one day Syria is more secure, that will be in the interest of the whole region and the world."
