TEHRAN – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that Iran and Russia should take more “serious” steps to fight against terrorism and cooperate to root it out with participation of other countries in the Mideast region.

He made the remarks during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin on Thursday in Ufa, where Russia was holding a joint conference of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS.

Rouhani pointed to terrorism in Iraq and Syria and said that multilateral cooperation in fight against terrorism is essential.

The Iranian president also described the crisis in Yemen as a “tragedy” and called on Russia to help stop the killing of the Yemeni people by Saudi Arabia.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani said that Iran-Russia relations are “strategic”.

For his part, Putin stated that the two countries’ relations have grown in various areas.

He also said that “remarkable” progress has been made in the nuclear talks between Iran and the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany).

Putin added the Moscow has been defending Iran for its right to nuclear energy.

Putin also highlighted the necessity to counter terrorism and extremism.

He described interaction between Iran and Russia as “essential” in order to restore stability and security in the region.

NA/P