OREANDA-NEWS. January 06, 2012. Dmitry Medvedev had a telephone conversation with President of Islamic Republic of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The conversation took place at Iran's initiative.

Dmitry Medvedev and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad discussed the prospects of bilateral cooperation in 2012.

The two leaders exchanged views on a variety of regional issues. The parties called for intensifying efforts on the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea and addressing the problems involving the Caspian Sea, including the environment, fishing and others. In this context, the importance of implementing the agreements reached at the third Caspian Summit in Baku was highlighted.

Regarding the situation in the Middle East, which is the subject of grave concern to the international community, Dmitry Medvedev and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expressed their firm belief that the region’s problems, including the crisis in Syria, can be resolved exclusively by political means, through dialogue of all the parties involved.

The two leaders expressed their support for the ongoing efforts within the UN, regional and other international organisations to achieve this goal.

Dmitry Medvedev noted with satisfaction the Iranian President’s positive response to Russia’s proposal to implement a phased plan to restore confidence in the Iranian nuclear programme. The parties agreed to continue consultations on this issue.