ISTANBUL

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a phone call Monday with his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments, according to the Kremlin.

The two ministers stressed the importance of maintaining strong political dialogue between their countries while pledging to step up work on trade, investment and cultural cooperation.

They also exchanged views on international and regional matters, placing a particular focus on the situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone.