TEHRAN – The presidents of Iran and Russia spoke over the phone on Wednesday to discuss a variety of bilateral issues, according to a statement by the Kremlin. 

According to the statement, President Vladimir Putin and President Ebrahim Raisi discussed expanding bilateral cooperation in the energy, transportation, and logistics sectors. 

They also discussed the situation in Syria, the Kremlin said. The two sides agreed to continue high-level contact.

The call came days after Iranian President Raisi received a copy of the credentials of the new Russian ambassador to Iran, Alexey Dedov. In his meeting with Dedov, Raisi described Tehran-Moscow relations as strategic.

“Iran and Russia have good grounds for cooperation in the bilateral, regional and international fields,” he said. He also referred to the increase in diplomatic interactions between the two countries and emphasized the necessity of forming and strengthening strategic economic cooperation between Iran and Russia.