MOSCOW -- Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zangeneh and Russian Minister of State Property Farit Rafikovich Gazizullin in a meeting Friday discussed ways of boosting nuclear cooperation as well as bilateral ties in economic area.

The two ministers who co-chair the Iran-Russia Joint Economic Commission exchanged views on the long-term programs to broaden the economic and trade relations.

Zangeneh in the meeting commented on his positive talks with Russian energy minister and said practical steps have been undertaken to boost the economic mutual ties.

He said a session should be held in presence of Iranian and Russian representatives on how best one could accelerate the works and functioning of the joint economic commission.

Gazizullin was pleased over the good bilateral ties between the two countries and expressed the hope that the bilateral ties would improve in the future.

It is essential for both countries to embark on the joint activities on the export of gas while giving high attention to the North-South corridor project, he said.

Iran and Russia on Thursday discussed how to draft a long-term bilateral economic agreement as Russian Deputy Prime Minister Victor Khristenko stressed the two countries' potentials for further cooperation in the energy sector.

The 10-year agreement will pave the way for a wide-ranging economic cooperation between the two countries, including the fuel and energy sector, he told reporters after talks with Zangeneh.

The two sides also discussed possible ways for expanding non-OPEC Russia's contacts with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in order to establish a steady oil market.

Zangeneh held further talks with Energy Minister Igor Yusufov, in which they discussed Russian firms' investment in the Iranian South Pars, which is said to be the world's biggest independent gas field.

Yusufov intimated his country's interest in boosting gas cooperation with Iran, saying he hoped Russian companies would actively participate in the South Pars gas development projects.

There are suitable grounds for expansion of gas cooperation between the two countries which should take their first step to this effect by coordinating over gas transfer to Turkey, the Iranian minister said.

Yusufov also announced his country's readiness to cooperate with OPEC on "fair pricing" of oil.

The other important issue raised up in Zangeneh's talks with Russian officials was the Caspian Sea which is a bone of contention among its littoral states over the sea's legal status.

Zangeneh said Tehran and Moscow had done no work yet for cooperation on the land-locked sea and the two sides had to strengthen their coordination in that effect.

Yusufov hoped that the two countries would have "constructive cooperation" over the Caspian Sea.

Littoral states of the Caspian Sea -- Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan -- are at odds over the division of the land-locked sea which yet lacks a new legal regime to exploit its resources.

Iran and Russia technically used to share the sea but since former Soviet Union's collapse and the birth of the three other republics, they have had to redraw the Caspian Sea's marine borders.

Zangeneh arrived in Moscow Thursday for a two-day visit to discuss bilateral and international issues as well as energy cooperation with Russia in the oil and gas sector.