TEHRAN – Russian on Monday praised Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's recent suggestion to Persian Gulf states to sign a nonaggression pact as the first step to reduce regional tensions.

“Perhaps, agreeing not to attack one another is the first step toward reducing tensions. We would consider such an agreement as a proper one,” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a joint a press conference with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Eduardo Rodriguez Parrilla, Urdupoint reported.

He also said that Zarif's suggestion was in line with a “well-known and old” Russian initiative to create a “security concept” for the Persian Gulf, which would include Arab states, including Persian Gulf Arab states, and Iran.

The Russian foreign minister added that no common stand had been formulated during discussions of this initiative.

"I believe that any way we should move on toward creating such a concept, such a security system, and we should start with easy steps, such as being transparent about military matters, inviting each other to take part in drills and elaborating other measures aimed at boosting trust," Lavrov said.

He stated that Russia would like to see the League of Arab States, the European Union, the United Nations as a whole and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council as the guarantors of this security system.

SP/PA