MOSCOW -- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Fedotov met with Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Gholam- Reza Shafei on Tuesday to discuss key international issues and bilateral cooperation, ministry sources told ITAR-TASS.

The diplomats "also discussed the consular cooperation between Russia and Iran," the sources said. The meeting took place on the request of the Iranian ambassador.

The day before the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman lauded relations between Tehran and Moscow and the long-term program of trade, economic, industrial, scientific and technical cooperation between Russia and Iran in the current period until 2012. He said that the program complies with the interests of the two peoples.

Tehran and Moscow keep permanent contacts in various international issues, the spokesman said, IRNA reported.

He said they hope that their two foreign ministers will hold negotiations during the UN General Assembly session in New York and discuss both bilateral relations and essential international affairs, he added.