MOSCOW. Oct 27 (Interfax) - An agreement on settling the problem of the Iranian nuclear program is possible, a view that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry shared in a telephone conversation initiated by the U.S. on Friday.
"The foreign policy chiefs acknowledged that there are real opportunities to reach specific agreements in the negotiations on settling the situation surrounding the Iranian nuclear program, although additional efforts should be applied for this," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement available on its website on Friday.
"Touching on the situation in Ukraine, Lavrov emphasized the need to ensure a stable truce in the southeast and resolve all issues concerning the future nature of Kyiv's relations with Donetsk and Luhansk at the negotiating table," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"In discussing the current difficult situation in Russian-U.S. relations, Sergei Lavrov particularly emphasized the need for normalizing them based on the principles of equitability and mutual consideration of each other's interests. This is especially important, taking into account Russia's and the U.S.' key role in resolving urgent international problems," it said.
Lavrov and Kerry also addressed various aspects of the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, including measures against terrorism and the settlement of the crisis in Syria, it said.
"Lavrov and Kerry agreed to continue the dialogue on relevant aspects of the bilateral and international agenda," it said.